Syn. -- Burden; clog; impediment; check; hindrance.
En*cum"bran*cer (?), n. (Law) Same as Incumbrancer.
En*cur"tain (?), v. t. To inclose with curtains.
-en*cy (?). [L. -entia.] A noun suffix having much the same meaning as -ence, but more commonly signifying the quality or state; as, emergency, efficiency. See -ancy.
{ En*cyc"lic (?), En*cyc"li*cal (?), } a. [L. encyclios of a circle, general, Gr. &?;; &?; in + &?; circle: cf. F. encyclique. See Cycle.] Sent to many persons or places; intended for many, or for a whole order of men; general; circular; as, an encyclical letter of a council, of a bishop, or the pope.
{ En*cyc"lic, En*cyc"li*cal, } n. An encyclical letter, esp. one from a pope. Shipley.
{ En*cy`clo*pe"di*a, En*cy`clo*pæ"di*a } (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, for &?; &?;, instruction in the circle of arts and sciences: cf. F. encyclopédie. See Cyclopedia, and Encyclical.] [Formerly written encyclopædy and encyclopedy.] The circle of arts and sciences; a comprehensive summary of knowledge, or of a branch of knowledge; esp., a work in which the various branches of science or art are discussed separately, and usually in alphabetical order; a cyclopedia.
En*cy`clo*pe*di"a*cal (?), a. Encyclopedic.
En*cy`clo*pe"di*an (?), a. Embracing the whole circle of learning, or a wide range of subjects.
{ En*cy`clo*ped"ic (?), En*cy`clo*ped"ic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. encyclopédique.] Pertaining to, or of the nature of, an encyclopedia; embracing a wide range of subjects.
En*cy`clo*pe"dism (?), n. The art of writing or compiling encyclopedias; also, possession of the whole range of knowledge; encyclopedic learning.
En*cy`clo*pe"dist (?), n. [Cf. F. encyclopédiste.] The compiler of an encyclopedia, or one who assists in such compilation; also, one whose knowledge embraces the whole range of the sciences.
The Encyclopedists, the writers of the great French encyclopedia which appeared in 1751-1772. The editors were Diderot and D'Alembert. Among the contributors were Voltaire and Rousseau.
En*cyst" (?), v. t. To inclose in a cyst.
En`cys*ta"tion (?), n. Encystment.
En*cyst"ed (?), a. Inclosed in a cyst, or a sac, bladder, or vesicle; as, an encysted tumor.
The encysted venom, or poison bag, beneath the adder's fang.
Coleridge.
En*cyst"ment (?), n. 1. (Biol.) A process which, among some of the lower forms of life, precedes reproduction by budding, fission, spore formation, etc.
The animal (a) first contracts its body to a globular mass (b) and then secretes a transparent cyst (c), after which the mass divides into two or more parts (as in d e), each of which attains freedom by the bursting of the cyst, and becomes an individual animal.
2. (Zoöl.) A process by which many internal parasites, esp. in their larval states, become inclosed within a cyst in the muscles, liver, etc. See Trichina.
End (nd), n. [OE. & AS. ende; akin to OS. endi, D. einde, eind, OHG. enti, G. ende, Icel. endir, endi, Sw. ände, Dan. ende, Goth. andeis, Skr. anta. √208. Cf. Ante-, Anti-, Answer.] 1. The extreme or last point or part of any material thing considered lengthwise (the extremity of breadth being side); hence, extremity, in general; the concluding part; termination; close; limit; as, the end of a field, line, pole, road; the end of a year, of a discourse; put an end to pain; -- opposed to beginning, when used of anything having a first part.
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.
Eccl. vii. 8.
2. Point beyond which no procession can be made; conclusion; issue; result, whether successful or otherwise; conclusive event; consequence.
My guilt be on my head, and there an end.
Shak.
O that a man might know
The end of this day's business ere it come!
Shak.
3. Termination of being; death; destruction; extermination; also, cause of death or destruction.
Unblamed through life, lamented in thy end.
Pope.
Confound your hidden falsehood, and award
Either of you to be the other's end.
Shak.