2 also forms nouns which refer to tools and machines that perform a particular action. For example, a scanner is a machine that scans things.
era ◆◇◇ / I ə rə/ (eras ) N‑COUNT You can refer to a period of history or a long period of time as an era when you want to draw attention to a particular feature or quality that it has. □ …the nuclear era. □ [+ of ] It was an era of austerity. SYNONYMS era NOUN
time(s): We are in one of the most severe recessions in modern times.
age: …the age of steam and steel.
period: …the most difficult periods of history.
epoch: This was the beginning of a major epoch of world history.
day(s): He began to talk about the Ukraine of his uncle's day.
eradi|cate / I ræ d I ke I t/ (eradicates , eradicating , eradicated ) VERB To eradicate something means to get rid of it completely. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus. □ [be V -ed] If tedious tasks could be eradicated, the world would be a much better place. ● eradi|ca|tion / I ræ d I ke I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] He is seen as having made a significant contribution towards the eradication of corruption.
erase / I re I z, [AM ] I re I s/ (erases , erasing , erased )
1 VERB If you erase a thought or feeling, you destroy it completely so that you can no longer remember something or no longer feel a particular emotion. □ [V n] They are desperate to erase the memory of that last defeat in Cardiff. □ [V n + from ] Love was a word he'd erased from his vocabulary since Susan's going.
2 VERB If you erase sound which has been recorded on a tape or information which has been stored in a computer, you completely remove or destroy it. □ [V n] He was in the studio tearfully erasing all the tapes he'd slaved over. □ [be V -ed + from ] It appears the names were accidentally erased from computer disks. [Also V n + from ]
3 VERB If you erase something such as writing or a mark, you remove it, usually by rubbing it with a cloth. □ [V n] It was unfortunate that she had erased the message.
eras|er / I re I zə r , [AM ] -re I s-/ (erasers ) N‑COUNT An eraser is an object, usually a piece of rubber or plastic, which is used for removing something that has been written using a pencil or a pen. [AM , also BRIT , FORMAL ] □ …a large, flat, pink India-rubber eraser.
eras|ure / I re I ʒə r , [AM ] -re I ʃ-/ N‑UNCOUNT The erasure of something is the removal, loss, or destruction of it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …a further erasure of the U.K.'s thin manufacturing base.
ere /eə r / CONJ Ere means the same as 'before'. [LITERARY , OLD-FASHIONED ] □ Take the water ere the clock strikes twelve.
e -read|er (e-readers ) N‑COUNT An e-reader is a device that you can carry with you and use to download and read texts in electronic form. E-reader is an abbreviation for 'e-book reader'. □ The number of people who owned an e-reader nearly doubled over the recent holiday season.
erect / I re kt/ (erects , erecting , erected )
1 VERB If people erect something such as a building, bridge, or barrier, they build it or create it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Opposition demonstrators have erected barricades in roads leading to the parliament building. □ [be V -ed] The building was erected in 1900–1901. □ [V n] We all unconsciously erect barriers against intimacy.
2 VERB If you erect a system, a theory, or an institution, you create it. □ [V n] Japanese proprietors are erecting a complex infrastructure of political influence throughout America. □ [V n] He erected a new doctrine of precedent.
3 ADJ People or things that are erect are straight and upright. □ Stand reasonably erect, your arms hanging naturally.
erec|tion / I re kʃ ə n/ (erections )
1 N‑COUNT If a man has an erection , his penis is stiff, swollen, and sticking up because he is sexually aroused.
2 N‑UNCOUNT The erection of something is the act of building it or placing it in an upright position. □ [+ of ] …the erection of temporary fencing to protect hedges under repair.
er|ga|tive /ɜː r gət I v/ ADJ An ergative verb is a verb that can be both transitive and intransitive, where the subject of the intransitive verb is the same as the object of the transitive verb. For example, 'open' is an ergative verb because you can say 'The door opened' or 'She opened the door'.
ergo /ɜː r goʊ/ ADV Ergo is sometimes used instead of 'therefore' to introduce a clause in which you mention something that is the consequence or logical result of what you have just said. [FORMAL or LITERARY ] □ Neither side would have an incentive to start a war. Ergo, peace would reign.
er|go|nom|ics /ɜː r gənɒ m I ks/ N‑UNCOUNT Ergonomics is the study of how equipment and furniture can be arranged in order that people can do work or other activities more efficiently and comfortably.
er|mine /ɜː r m I n/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Ermine is expensive white fur that comes from small animals called stoats.
erode / I roʊ d/ (erodes , eroding , eroded )
1 VERB If rock or soil erodes or is eroded by the weather, sea, or wind, it cracks and breaks so that it is gradually destroyed. □ [V ] By 1980, Miami beach had all but totally eroded. □ [be V -ed] Once exposed, soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain. [Also V n] ● erod|ed ADJ □ …the deeply eroded landscape.