eagle (egl)

[Early mod. E. also egle; an aguila = Pg.agu eagle (prob.so called from its dark-brown color), fem. of aquilus, dark-colored, brown (cf. Lith. aklas, blind): see Aquila, aquiline, etc. The native E. name is earn: see earn3.] 1. Properly, a very large diurnal raptorial bird of the family Falconida and genus Aquila (which see), having the feet feathered to the toes, and no tooth to the bill, which is straight for the length of the cere. There are about 9 species, all confined to the old world except the golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetus, eagle which ranges also in North America. This is the type species, to which the term originally attached; it is 3 feet IMG:content-0138.jpg:[blocks in formation] or more in length, dark-brown color, deriving the epithet golden from the ruddy brown feathers of the back of the neck. It preys on lambs, hares, rabbits, various birds, such as grouse, and carrion. Other notable species are the imperial eagle, A. heliac a; the Ru ian eagle, A. mo gilnik; the spotted eagle, A. maculata (or nævia). From its size, strength, rapacity, and powers of flight and vision, the eagle has been called the king of birds; but its prowe is greatly exaggerated. By the ancients it was called the bird of Jove, and it was IMG:content-0139.jpg:[graphic] borne on the Roman standards. Many nations, as France under the Bonapartes, Austria, Pru ia, and Ru ia, have adopted it as the national emblem. In heraldry it ranks as one of the most noble bearings in coat-armor. There myghte men the ryal egle fynde, That with his sharpe lok persith the sunne; And othere eglis of a lowere kynde, Of whiche that clerk is wel devyse cunne. Chaucer , Parliament of Fowls, 1. 330. So the struck eagle , stretched upon the plain, No more through rolling clouds to soar again, View'd his own feather on the fatal dart, And wing'd the shaft that quiver'd in his heart. Byron , English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, 1. 826. 2. A member of the genus Haliaëtus, which comprises the fishing-eagles, sea-eagles, or earns, resembling the eagle proper in size and form, but having the shank bare of feathers and scaly: such as the white or bald-headed eagle, or bald eagle, H. leucocephalus, the national emblem of the United States; the white-tailed eagle, H. albicilla; the pelagic eagle, H. pela gicus, etc.-3. A name of many raptorial birds larger than the hawk and the buzzard, only distantly related, as the harpy eagle, booted eagle, etc. A number of genera of such large hawks are sometimes grouped with the true eagles in a subfamily Aquilince (which see). 4. [ cap.] An ancient northern constellation between Cygnus and Sag it tar i us, containing the bright star Altair. It seems to be shown on Babylonian stones of high antiquity, and the statement still current that it almost touches the equinoctial refers to the position of that circle about 2000 B. C. At present the constellation, enlarged by the addition of Anti no us shortly after the Christian era, extends 20° north and 13° south of the equator. See Aquila, 2. 5. A military ensign or standard surmounted by the figure of an eagle. It is especially a ociated with ancient Rome, though borne, with various modifications, by certain modern nations, as France under the first and second empires. This utter'd, overboard he leaps, and with his Eagle feircly advanc'd runs upon the Enemy. Milton , Hist. Eng., ii. What! shall a Roman sink in soft repose, And tamely see the Britons aid his foes? See them secure the rebel Gaul supply; Spurn his vain eagles and his power defy? Langhorne, Cæsar's Dream. IMG:content-0140.png:[blocks in formation] roulette. Also called eagle bird. American eagle. See bald eagle.- Bald eagle, or bald earn, a common though misapplied name for the white-headed eagle of North America, Haliaetus leucocephalus. This is the eagle which has been adopted as the national emblem on the arms of the United States, and is figured on some of its coins, being popularly called "the American eagle," "the spread eagle," "the national bird," "the bird of freedom," etc. It is about 3 feet long, dark-brown or blackish when adult, with pure-white head and tail; the shank is partly naked and yellow, by which mark the species may be distinguished in any plumage from the golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetus. Also called white- or bald - headed eagle. See on following page. Black eagle. (a) The golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetus. (b) The young of the bald eagle, Haliaetus leucocephalus. - Calumet eagle. See Bald Eagle (Haliaëtus leucocephalus). the jaws are paved with rows of hexagonal teeth, the me- dian of which are of much greater breadth than length. 2. Any ray of the family Myliobatida . These one or more serrated spines. They inhabit for the most part tropical or warm seas. eagle-sighted (ē'gl-sīted), a. Having strong sight, as an eagle. What peremptory eagle - sighted eye Dares look upon the heaven of her brow, That is not blinded by her majesty? eagle (ē'gles), n. [ aëtites .] A variety of argillaceous oxid of iron, found in ma es varying from the size of a walnut to that of a man's head. In form these ma es are spherical, oval, or nearly reniform, or sometimes re- semble a parallelopiped with rounded edges and angles. They have a rough surface, and are e entially composed of concentric layers. The nodules often embrace at the center a kernel or nucleus, sometimes movable, and always differing from the exterior in color, density, and fracture. To these hollow nodules the Greeks gave the name of eaglestones, from a notion that the eagle transported them to her nest to facilitate the laying of her eggs. Also called Whether the aetites or eaglestone hath that eminent property to promote delivery or restrain abortion, respec- tively applied to lower or upward parts of the body, we shall not discourage common practice by our question. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., ii. 5. eaglet (ē'glet), n. [Earlier mod. E. also eglet ; aiglette , dim. of aigle , eagle: see eagle .] A young eagle; a little eagle. In heraldry, when three or more eagles are borne on an escutcheon they are usually called eaglets, and always so when they are borne upon an ordinary, as a bend, fe e, etc., or another bearing, or on a mantle. When like an eglet I first found my love, For that the virtue I thereof would know, Upon the nest I set it forth, to prove If it were of that kingly kind, or no. My dark tall pines, that Foster'd the callow eaglet . Tennyson, Enone. A book-name eagle-vulture (ē'gl-vultūr), n. of the Gypohierax an go lens is of western Africa. nected by plain gold links. - Spread eagle, an eagle with outspread wings; specifically, the emblem of the Unit ed States of America: often applied attributively to any eagle-winged (ē'gl-wingd), a. Having the loud, bombastic, boastful, and arrogant display of national The eagle- winged pride Of sky-aspiring and ambitious thoughts. eaglewood (e'gl-wud), n. [ eagle + wood1; like F. bois d'aigle, G. adlerholz , a translation of NL. lignum aquila , or aquilaria , which is an accom. (to L. aquila , eagle) of the E. Ind. name aghil , Hind. agar , agaru or aguru (the latter form accom. to aguru , not heavy, a- priv. + guru = Gr. βαρύς = L. gravis , heavy), > prob. Gr. ἀγάλλοχον , NL. agallochum : see agal- lochum and Aloë .] A highly fragrant wood, much used by Asiatics for incense. See agal- lochum. eagra (ē'grås), n. Same as eddish , 1. eagre, n. See eager2 . ealdt, n. A dialectal variant of eld. Grose. ealdert, n. An obsolete (Middle English and rare Anglo-Saxon) form of elder2 . ealdorman, n. [AS.: see alderman .] A chief; a leader: the Anglo-Saxon original of alderman , used in modern historical works with reference to its Anglo-Saxon use. The name of Ealdorman is one of a large cla ; among a primitive people age implies command and command implies age; hence, in a somewhat later stage of language, the elders are simply the rulers. eamt, n. [Formerly eame ; еат , em, , contr. of * eahām , = OFries. em = D. oom , uncle, = OHG. MHG. õheim , uncle (mother's brother), also nephew (sister's son), G. oheim, ohm, uncle. The first syllable, AS. ea- (= Goth. au- ), is perhaps related to Goth. awo , grandmother, Icel. afi , grandfather, ai , great-grandfather, and to L. av - un - culus , uncle, av - us , grandfather; the second syllable is ob- scure . Eam remains in the surnames Eames and Ames .] Uncle. Sone to hem of the cite a-sembled he thanne, & fauzt than so ferscheli for his emes sake. William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3426. Henry Hotspur, and his eame IMG:content-0141.jpg:[graphic] As either promised to increase your breed At eaning -time, and bring you lusty twins. IMG:content-0142.png:[blocks in formation] Transverse Section through Side Walls of Skull, showing the Inner Parts of the Ear. Co , concha or external ear, or pinna; EM , external auditory mea- tus; TyM , tympanic membrane; Inc , incus; Mall , malleus; ASC , PSC, ESC , anterior, posterior, and external semicircular canals; Coc , cochlea; Eu , Eustachian tube; IM , internal auditory meatus, lium and lying in a roughly corresponding excavation in the petrous bone, the bony labyrinth. The membranous laby- rinth contains a limpid fluid, the endolymph , and between the membranous labyrinth and the bony labyrinth is a similar liquid called perilymph . The auditory nerve, pene- trating the bone by the internal auditory meatus, is dis- tributed to the walls of the membranous labyrinth. The labyrinth is completely shut off from the tympanum, but there are two fenestræ or openings, closed by membranes, in the tympanic wall of the bony labyrinth, and the foot of the stapes is applied to one of them. Sound-waves which impinge upon the tympanic membrane are transmitted acro the tympanum by the chain of auditory o icles, and thence into the laby- rinth. In vertebrates be- low mammals the ear at once becomes simplified, as by lack of an external ear and reduction of the o icles and of the laby rinth, the latter being simply ligulate or strap- fishes, the inner ear may con- IMG:content-0143.png:[graphic][merged small][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][merged small][subsumed][subsumed] tions, sometimes of great size, called otoliths or ear-stones. An ear of some kind is recogniza- ble in the great majority of invertebrates. In its simplest recognizable expre ion it is a mere capsule or vesicle, con- taining some hard body answering to an otolith, 1, helix: 2, fo a of antihelix, or and so supposed to have. an auditory function. fo a triangular is; 3, fo a of helix, or fo a scaphoidea 4, antihelix; See cochlea, labyrinth, 5, 5, concha; 6, antitragus; 7, lobule; and cut under tympanic . 8, tragus. External Ear, or Pinna. ear 2. The external ear alone, known as the pinna, auricle, or concha: as, the horse laid his ears back. In another Yle ben folk, that han gret Eres and longe, that hangen doun to here Knees. Mandeville , Travels, p. 205. Hollowing one hand against his ear , To list a foot-fall. Tennyson, Palace of Art. 3. In ornith.: (a) The auriculars or packet of auricular feathers which cover the external ear-pa age of a bird. ( b ) A plumicorn or corni plume; one of the "horns" of an owl.4. The sense of hearing; the power of distinguishing sounds; the power of nice perception of the differences of sound. The Poet must know to whose eare he maketh his rime, and accommodate himselfe thereto, and not give such musicke to the rude and barbarous as he would to the learned and delicate eare . Putten ham , Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 72. 5. Specifically, in music, the capacity to appreciate, analyze, and reproduce musical compositions by hearing them; sensitivene to musical intonation and to differences of pitch and quality in musical sounds: as, a correct ear. Sometimes called a musical ear. Sneer. I thought you had been a decided critic in music, as well as in literature. Dangle. So I am - but I have a bad ear . Sheridan, The Critic, i. 1. When therefore I say that I have no ear, you will understand me to mean - for music. Lamb , Chapter on Ears. And men who have the gift of playing on an instrument by ear are sometimes afraid to learn by rule, lest they should lose it. J. H. Newman , Gram. of A ent, p. 323. 6. A careful or favorable hearing; attention; heed. I cried unto God with my voice, unto me. and he gave ear Ps. lxxvii. 1. I gaue as good eare, and do consider as well the taulke that pa ed, as any one did there. Ascham, The Scholemaster, p. 19. Shak ., Hamlet, i. 3. Give every man thine ear , but few thy voice. But the bigots and flatterers who had his ear gave him advice which he was but too willing to take. Macaulay , Hist. Eng., vi. 71. Disposition to listen; judgment; taste. He laid his sense closer, and in fewer words, according to the style and ear of those times. Sir J. Denham, 8. A part of any inanimate object having some likene to the external ear. (a) A projection from the side of a ve el or utensil made to be used as a handle: as, the ears of a jar, pitcher, or other ve el. Each bottle had a curling ear , Through which the belt he drew, And hung a bottle on each side, To make his balance true. IMG:content-0144.png:[blocks in formation] (b) That part of a bell by which it is suspended; the cannon. See first cut under bell. (c) A plate of soft metal at the mouth of the mouth pipe of an organ, used to qualify the tone by being bent more or le over the opening. (d) The loop or ring by which the ram of a pile-driver is raised. (e) In printing, a projecting piece on the edge of the frisket or of the composing-rule. E. II. Knight. (f) One of the holes bored in a spherical projectile for the insertion of the points of the shell-hooks used in manipulating it. 9. In arch., same as cro et, 1 ( a ). - A flea in the ear. See flea. - All ear or ears, listening intently; giv ing close attention to sounds or utterances. IMG:content-0145.png:[blocks in formation] For at these [pulpit] performances she was all attention, all ear ; she kept her heart fixed and intent on its holy work, by keeping her eye from wandering. Bp. Atterbury, Sermons, I. vi. A 's ear, a kind of sea-ear, Haliotis as in in us, a fine iridescent shell used in the manufacture of buttons, for inlaying woodwork, and for other purposes. See abalone, Haliotis, ormer. - At first eart, at first hearing; immediately. Davies. A third cause of common errors is the credulity of men, that is, an easie a ent to what is obtruded, or a believing at first ear what is delivered by others. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., i. 5. Barrel of the ear. Same as tympanum . - By the ears, in a state of discord or contention. All Heav'n is by the Ears together, Since first that little Rogue came hither. Prior, Cupid and Ganymede. Cheeks and earst. See cheek. - Dionysius's ear. (a) The name given to a secret subterranean ear-shaped pas sage connecting the palace of Dionysius the Elder, first tyrant of Syracuse (died 367 B. C.), with his stone-quarry prisons, through which he was able to overhear the conversation of his prisoners. (b) An aural instrument for the use of very deaf persons. It has a large pavilion secured by a swivel to a stand upon the floor, and an elastic tube with a nozle to be held to the ear. E. H. Knight.-Drum of the ear. Same as tympanum. Over head and ears. See up to the ears, below. To fall together by the ears, to go together by the ears, to engage in a fight or scuffle; quarrel. 1816 They will, instead of eating peaceably, fall together by the ears, each single one impatient to have all to itself. Swift , Gulliver's Travels, iv. 7. To give ear to. See give. To meet the ear. See meet. To set by the ears, to make strife between; cause to quarrel. Who ever hears of fat men beading a riot, or herding together in turbulent mobs?-no-no-it is your lean, hungry men who are continually worrying society, and setting the whole community by the ears. Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 157. To sleep upon both ears, to sleep soundly. Let him set his heart at rest: I will remove this scruple out of his mind, that he may sleep securely upon both Abp. Bramhall, Works, III. 518. Touching the ears, in the early church, a part of the ceremony of baptizing catechumens, consisting of touching the ears, and saying "Ephphatha" (be opened), a symbol of the opening of the understanding. - Up to the ears, over the earst, over head and ears, or engro ed; overwhelmed: as, over head and ears in debt, or in busine . rs, deeply absorbed eared earache (er'āk), n. Pain in the ear; otalgia. earalt (er'al), a. [Improp. They are not true penitents that are merely earal , verbal, or worded men, that speak more than they really intend. Hewyt , Sermons (1658), p. 34. earbob (ēr'bob), п . An ear-ring or ear-drop. [New Eng.] I've got a pair o' ear - bobs and a handkercher pin I'm a go in' to give you, if you'll have them. L. M. Alcott , Hospital Sketches, p. 35. 1. A bone of the ear; IMG:content-0146.png:[blocks in formation] wench, skilfull in musicke, and fell in love with her over ear-brisk (er'brisk), a. Having ears that move the eares. This Phedria out of hand got him a certain singing Terence (trans.), 1614. A cavalier was up to the ears in love with a very fine lady. Sir R. L'Estrange . When I was quite embarked, discovered myself up to the ears in a contested election. Walpole, Letters, 11. 353. Venus's ear, an ear-shell or sea-ear; a species of Hali otis, as the ormer, H. tuberculata: with allusion to the fable of Aphrodite. - Wine of one eart, good wine. One of the annotators of Rabelais says: "I have introduced the same with good succe in some parts of Leicester. shire, and elsewhere, speaking of good ale, ale of one ear; bad ale, ale of two ears. Because when it is good we give a nod with one ear; if bad, we shake our head, that is, give a sign with both ears that we do not like it." O the fine white wine! upon my conscience it is a kind of taffatas wine; hin, hin, it is of one ear (il est à une oreille). Urquhart , tr. of Rabelais, i. 5. earl (er), v. t. [ with attention. = I eared her language, lived in her eye. Fletcher (and another), Two Noble Kinsmen, iii. 1. ear2 (er), n. [Early mod. E. also eare ; ear , contr. of orig. *eahor = ONorth, eher, ahher MD. aere, D. aar = MLG. ār , are , LG. är = OHG. ahir , ehir , MHG. cher , G. ähre = Icel. Sw. Dan. ax = Goth. ahs , an ear, = L. acus ( acer- , orig. * acis- ), chaff (see acerose); connected with Goth. ahana , chaff, = E. awn1 ; AS. egl , a beard of grain, E. dial. ail ; L. acus (acu-), a needle; L. acies = AS. ecge, E. edge , etc.: see awn1 , ail2 , acus , aculeate , aglet, edge , egg2.] A spike or head of corn or grain; that part of a cereal plant which con tains the flowers and seed. The barley was in the ear , and the flax was bolled. Ex. ix. 31. Red ear, an ear of maize exceptionally of a deep-red color. Such an ear, when found, was made a source of sport at old-fashioned corn-huskings in the United States. For each red ear a gen'ral ki he gains. Joel Barlow, Hasty Pudding. Great ardor was evinced in pursuit of the red ear [of corn], for which piece of fortune the discoverer had the privilege of a ki from any lady he should nominate. S. Judd , Margaret, ii. 6