eter|nal / I tɜː r n ə l/
1 ADJ Something that is eternal lasts for ever. □ Whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life. □ …the quest for eternal youth. ● eter|nal|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ She is eternally grateful to her family for their support.
2 ADJ If you describe something as eternal , you mean that it seems to last for ever, often because you think it is boring or annoying. □ In the background was that eternal hum.
ete r|nal tri |an|gle (eternal triangles ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] You use the eternal triangle to refer to a relationship involving love and jealousy between two men and a woman or two women and a man.
eter|nity / I tɜː r n I ti/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Eternity is time without an end or a state of existence outside time, especially the state which some people believe they will pass into after they have died. □ I have always found the thought of eternity terrifying.
2 N‑SING If you say that a situation lasted for an eternity , you mean that it seemed to last an extremely long time, usually because it was boring or unpleasant. □ The war continued for an eternity.
etha|nol /e θənɒl/ N‑UNCOUNT Ethanol is another name for alcohol . [TECHNICAL ]
ether /iː θə r / N‑UNCOUNT Ether is a colourless liquid that burns easily. It is used in industry and in medicine as an anaesthetic. □ …a sweetish smell of ether and iodine.
ethe|real / I θ I ə riəl/
1 ADJ Someone or something that is ethereal has a delicate beauty. [FORMAL ] □ She's the prettiest, most ethereal romantic heroine in the movies. □ …gorgeous, hauntingly ethereal melodies.
2 ADJ Ethereal means unrelated to practical things and the real world. [FORMAL ] □ …the ethereal nature of romantic fiction.
eth|ic /e θ I k/ (ethics )
1 N‑PLURAL Ethics are moral beliefs and rules about right and wrong. □ Refugee workers said such action was a violation of medical ethics.
2 N‑PLURAL Someone's ethics are the moral principles about right and wrong behaviour which they believe in. □ [+of ] He told the police that he had thought honestly about the ethics of what he was doing.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Ethics is the study of questions about what is morally right and wrong. □ …the teaching of ethics and moral philosophy.
4 N‑SING An ethic of a particular kind is an idea or moral belief that influences the behaviour, attitudes, and philosophy of a group of people. □ [+ of ] …the ethic of public service. □ …an indomitable work ethic and determination to succeed.
ethi|cal /e θ I k ə l/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Ethical means relating to beliefs about right and wrong. □ …the medical, nursing and ethical issues surrounding terminally-ill people. ● ethi|cal|ly /e θ I kli/ ADV [ADV adj/-ed, ADV after v] □ Attorneys are ethically and legally bound to absolute confidentiality.
2 ADJ If you describe something as ethical , you mean that it is morally right or morally acceptable. □ …ethical investment schemes. ● ethi|cal|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ Mayors want local companies to behave ethically.
Ethio|pian /iː θioʊ piən/ (Ethiopians )
1 ADJ Ethiopian means belonging or relating to Ethiopia, or to its people, language, or culture.
2 N‑COUNT An Ethiopian is an Ethiopian citizen, or a person of Ethiopian origin.
eth|nic ◆◇◇ /e θn I k/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Ethnic means connected with or relating to different racial or cultural groups of people. □ …a survey of Britain's ethnic minorities. □ …ethnic tensions. ● eth|ni|cal|ly /e θn I kli/ ADV [usu ADV -ed/adj] □ …a predominantly young, ethnically mixed audience.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] You can use ethnic to describe people who belong to a particular racial or cultural group but who, usually, do not live in the country where most members of that group live. □ There are still several million ethnic Germans in Russia. ● eth|ni|cal|ly ADV [ADV adj] □ …a large ethnically Albanian population.
3 ADJ Ethnic clothing, music, or food is characteristic of the traditions of a particular ethnic group, and different from what is usually found in modern Western culture. □ …a magnificent range of ethnic fabrics.
e th|nic clea ns|ing N‑UNCOUNT Ethnic cleansing is the process of using violent methods to force certain groups of people out of a particular area or country. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ In late May, government forces began the 'ethnic cleansing' of the area around the town.
eth|nic|ity /eθn I s I ti/ (ethnicities ) N‑VAR Ethnicity is the state or fact of belonging to a particular ethnic group. □ He said his ethnicity had not been important to him.
eth|no|cen|tric /e θnoʊse ntr I k/ ADJ If you describe something as ethnocentric , you disagree with it because it is based on the belief that one particular race or nationality of people is superior to all others. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Her work is open to the criticism that it is ethnocentric.
eth|no|graph|ic /e θnəgræ f I k/ ADJ Ethnographic refers to things that are connected with or relate to ethnography.
eth|nog|ra|phy /eθnɒ grəfi/ N‑UNCOUNT Ethnography is the branch of anthropology in which different cultures are studied and described.
ethos /iː θɒs/ N‑SING An ethos is the set of ideas and attitudes that is associated with a particular group of people or a particular type of activity. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] The whole ethos of the hotel is effortless service. □ …the traditional public service ethos.