E- . A Latin prefix meaning out, out of, from; also, without. See Ex-.
E (ē). 1. The
fifth letter of the English alphabet. It derives its form, name, and value from the Latin, the form and value being further derived from the Greek, into which it
came from the Phœnician, and ultimately, probably, from the Egyptian. Its etymological relations
are closest with the vowels i, a, and o, as illustrated by to fall, to fell; man, pl. men; drink, drank, drench; dint, dent; doom, deem; goose, pl. geese; beef, OF. boef, L. bos; and E. cheer, OF.
chiere, LL. cara.
The letter e has in English several vowel sounds, the two principal being its long or name
sound, as in
eve, me, and the short, as in
end, best. Usually at the end of words
it is silent, but serves to indicate that the preceding vowel has its long
sound, where otherwise it would be short, as in
māne, cāne, mēte, which without the final e would be pronounced măn, căn, m&ebreve;t. After c and g,
the final e indicates that these letters are to be pronounced as s and j;
respectively, as in lace, rage.
See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 74-97.
2. (Mus.) E is the third tone of
the model diatonic scale. E♭ (E flat) is a tone which is
intermediate between
D and E.
Hear it pronounced