20 results for: Eager
ea·ger1
Audio Help [ee-ger] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [ee-ger] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | keen or ardent in desire or feeling; impatiently longing: I am eager for news about them. He is eager to sing. |
| 2. | characterized by or revealing great earnestness: an eager look. |
| 3. | Obsolete. keen; sharp; biting. |
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME egre < AF, OF egre, aigre < VL *ācrus for L ācer sharp
]
] —Related forms
ea·ger·ly, adverb
ea·ger·ness, noun
—Synonyms 1. enthusiastic, desirous. See avid. 2. fervent, zealous, fervid, intent, intense, earnest.
—Antonyms 1, 2. indifferent, uninterested. 2. heedless.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Eager
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| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| ea·ger 1
Audio Help (ē'gər) Pronunciation Key
adj. ea·ger·er, ea·ger·est
[Middle English eger, sour, sharp, impetuous, from Anglo-Norman egre, from Latin ācer; see ak- in Indo-European roots.] ea'ger·ly adv., ea'ger·ness n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| ea·ger 2
Audio Help (ē'gər, ā'gər) Pronunciation Key
n. Variant of eagre. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| ea·gre also ea·ger
Audio Help (ē'gər, ā'gər) Pronunciation Key
n. See bore3. [Origin unknown.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
eager
1297, from O.Fr. aigre, from V.L. *acrus, from L. acer (gen. acris) "keen, sharp" (see acrid). The Eng. word kept an alternate meaning of "pungent, sharp-edged" till 19c. (e.g. Shakespeare's "The bitter clamour of two eager tongues," in "Richard II").
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| eager | |
adjective | |
| 1. | having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy; "eager to learn"; "eager to travel abroad"; "eager for success"; "eager helpers"; "an eager look" [ant: uneager] |
noun | |
| 1. | a high wave (often dangerous) caused by tidal flow (as by colliding tidal currents or in a narrow estuary) [syn: tidal bore] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
eager [ˈiːgə] adjective
full of desire, interest etc; keen; enthusiastic
Example: He is always eager to win.
Example: He is always eager to win.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Eager
Ac"rid\, a. [L. acer sharp; prob. assimilated in form to acid. See Eager.]1. Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not, to the taste; pungent; as, acrid salts. 2. Causing heat and irritation; corrosive; as, acrid secretions. 3. Caustic; bitter; bitterly irritating; as, acrid temper, mind, writing. Acrid poison, a poison which irritates, corrodes, or burns the parts to which it is applied.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
Ai"gre\, a. [F. See Eager.] Sour. [Obs.] --Shak.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
Ea"ger\, a. [OE. egre sharp, sour, eager, OF. agre, aigre, F. aigre, fr. L. acer sharp, sour, spirited, zealous; akin to Gr. ? highest, extreme, Skr. a?ra point; fr. a root signifying to be sharp. Cf. Acrid, Edge.]1. Sharp; sour; acid. [Obs.] "Like eager droppings into milk." --Shak. 2. Sharp; keen; bitter; severe. [Obs.] "A nipping and an eager air." "Eager words." --Shak. 3. Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain; keenly desirous; hotly longing; earnest; zealous; impetuous; vehement; as, the hounds were eager in the chase. And gazed for tidings in my eager eyes. --Shak. How eagerly ye follow my disgraces! --Shak. When to her eager lips is brought Her infant's thrilling kiss. --Keble. A crowd of eager and curious schoolboys. --Hawthorne. Conceit and grief an eager combat fight. --Shak. 4. Brittle; inflexible; not ductile. [Obs.] Gold will be sometimes so eager, as artists call it, that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself. --Locke. Syn: Earnest; ardent; vehement; hot; impetuous; fervent; intense; impassioned; zealous; forward. Usage: See Earnest. -- Eager, Earnest. Eager marks an excited state of desire or passion; thus, a child is eager for a plaything, a hungry man is eager for food, a covetous man is eager for gain. Eagerness is liable to frequent abuses, and is good or bad, as the case may be. It relates to what is praiseworthy or the contrary. Earnest denotes a permanent state of mind, feeling, or sentiment. It is always taken in a good sense; as, a preacher is earnest in his appeals to the conscience; an agent is earnest in his solicitations.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
Ea"ger\, a. [OE. egre sharp, sour, eager, OF. agre, aigre, F. aigre, fr. L. acer sharp, sour, spirited, zealous; akin to Gr. ? highest, extreme, Skr. a?ra point; fr. a root signifying to be sharp. Cf. Acrid, Edge.]1. Sharp; sour; acid. [Obs.] "Like eager droppings into milk." --Shak. 2. Sharp; keen; bitter; severe. [Obs.] "A nipping and an eager air." "Eager words." --Shak. 3. Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain; keenly desirous; hotly longing; earnest; zealous; impetuous; vehement; as, the hounds were eager in the chase. And gazed for tidings in my eager eyes. --Shak. How eagerly ye follow my disgraces! --Shak. When to her eager lips is brought Her infant's thrilling kiss. --Keble. A crowd of eager and curious schoolboys. --Hawthorne. Conceit and grief an eager combat fight. --Shak. 4. Brittle; inflexible; not ductile. [Obs.] Gold will be sometimes so eager, as artists call it, that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself. --Locke. Syn: Earnest; ardent; vehement; hot; impetuous; fervent; intense; impassioned; zealous; forward. Usage: See Earnest. -- Eager, Earnest. Eager marks an excited state of desire or passion; thus, a child is eager for a plaything, a hungry man is eager for food, a covetous man is eager for gain. Eagerness is liable to frequent abuses, and is good or bad, as the case may be. It relates to what is praiseworthy or the contrary. Earnest denotes a permanent state of mind, feeling, or sentiment. It is always taken in a good sense; as, a preacher is earnest in his appeals to the conscience; an agent is earnest in his solicitations.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
Ea"ger\, n. Same as Eagre.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
Ear"nest\, a. 1. Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavor; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; -- used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers. An earnest advocate to plead for him. --Shak. 2. Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention. 3. Serious; important. [Obs.] They whom earnest lets do often hinder. --Hooker. Syn: Eager; warm; zealous; ardent; animated; importunate; fervent; sincere; serious; hearty; urgent. See Eager.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
Edge\, n. [OE. eg, egge, AS. ecg; akin to OHG. ekka, G. ecke, Icel. & Sw. egg, Dan. eg, and to L. acies, Gr. ? point, Skr. a?ri edge. ??. Cf. Egg, v. t., Eager, Ear spike of corn, Acute.]1. The thin cutting side of the blade of an instrument; as, the edge of an ax, knife, sword, or scythe. Hence, figuratively, that which cuts as an edge does, or wounds deeply, etc. He which hath the sharp sword with two edges. --Rev. ii. 12. Slander, Whose edge is sharper than the sword. --Shak. 2. Any sharp terminating border; a margin; a brink; extreme verge; as, the edge of a table, a precipice. Upon the edge of yonder coppice. --Shak. In worst extremes, and on the perilous edge Of battle. --Milton. Pursue even to the very edge of destruction. --Sir W. Scott. 3. Sharpness; readiness of fitness to cut; keenness; intenseness of desire. The full edge of our indignation. --Sir W. Scott. Death and persecution lose all the ill that they can have, if we do not set an edge upon them by our fears and by our vices. --Jer. Taylor. 4. The border or part adjacent to the line of division; the beginning or early part; as, in the edge of evening. "On the edge of winter." --Milton. Edge joint (Carp.), a joint formed by two edges making a corner. Edge mill, a crushing or grinding mill in which stones roll around on their edges, on a level circular bed; -- used for ore, and as an oil mill. Called also Chilian mill. Edge molding (Arch.), a molding whose section is made up of two curves meeting in an angle. Edge plane. (a) (Carp.) A plane for edging boards. (b) (Shoemaking) A plane for edging soles. Edge play, a kind of swordplay in which backswords or cutlasses are used, and the edge, rather than the point, is employed. Edge rail. (Railroad) (a) A rail set on edge; -- applied to a rail of more depth than width. (b) A guard rail by the side of the main rail at a switch. --Knight. Edge railway, a railway having the rails set on edge. Edge stone, a curbstone. Edge tool. (a) Any tool instrument having a sharp edge intended for cutting. (b) A tool for forming or dressing an edge; an edging tool. To be on edge, to be eager, impatient, or anxious. To set the teeth on edge, to cause a disagreeable tingling sensation in the teeth, as by bringing acids into contact with them. --Bacon.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
E"ger\, Egre \E"gre\, a. [See Eager.] Sharp; bitter; acid; sour. [Obs.] The egre words of thy friend. --Chaucer.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
E"gre\, a. & n. See Eager, and Eagre. [Obs.]| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Eager
Vin"e*gar\, n. [OE. vinegre, F. vinaigre; vin wine (L. vinum) + aigre sour. See Wine, and Eager, a.]1. A sour liquid used as a condiment, or as a preservative, and obtained by the spontaneous (acetous) fermentation, or by the artificial oxidation, of wine, cider, beer, or the like. Note: The characteristic sourness of vinegar is due to acetic acid, of which it contains from three to five per cent. Wine vinegar contains also tartaric acid, citric acid, etc. 2. Hence, anything sour; -- used also metaphorically. Here's the challenge: . . . I warrant there's vinegar and pepper in't. --Shak. Aromatic vinegar, strong acetic acid highly flavored with aromatic substances. Mother of vinegar. See 4th Mother. Radical vinegar, acetic acid. Thieves' vinegar. See under Thief. Vinegar eel (Zo["o]l.), a minute nematode worm (Leptodera oxophila, or Anguillula acetiglutinis), commonly found in great numbers in vinegar, sour paste, and other fermenting vegetable substances; -- called also vinegar worm. Vinegar lamp (Chem.), a fanciful name of an apparatus designed to oxidize alcohol to acetic acid by means of platinum. Vinegar plant. See 4th Mother. Vinegar tree (Bot.), the stag-horn sumac (Rhus typhina), whose acid berries have been used to intensify the sourness of vinegar. Wood vinegar. See under Wood.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
EAGER
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