e

1 of 5

noun

ˈē

plural e's or es ˈēz

often capitalized, often attributive

: the 5th letter of the English alphabet

: a graphic representation of this letter

: a speech counterpart of orthographic e

: the third tone of a C-major scale

: a graphic device for reproducing the letter e

: one designated e especially as the fifth in order or class

: a grade rating a student's work as poor and usually constituting a conditional pass

: a grade rating a student's work as failing

: one graded or rated with an E

: a transcendental number having a value to eight decimal places of 2.71828183 that is the base of natural logarithms

: something shaped like the letter E

capitalized : ecstasy sense 2

2 of 5

abbreviation (1)

earth

east; eastern

edge

eldest

ell

empty

end

energy

erg

excellent

3 of 5

abbreviation (2)

electromotive force

energy

English

error

exponent

4 of 5

prefix

: missing : absent

edentulous

: away

eluviation

5 of 5

combining form

: electronic

e-commerce

Example Sentences

Noun a word that begins with an e a word that begins with e a song in the key of E

Word History

Etymology

Prefix

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, out, forth, away, from Latin, from ex-

Combining form

e-mail

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of e was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“E.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/e. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

1 of 2 noun

ˈē

plural e's or es

often capitalized

: the fifth letter of the English alphabet

: the musical note referred to by the letter E : the third tone of a C-major scale

: a grade rating a student's work as poor or failing

2 of 2 combining form

: electronic

e-book

Medical Definition

abbreviation

emmetropia

enema

enzyme

experimenter

eye

Word of the Day

lachrymose

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Words You Should Know

Often used to describe “the march of time,” what does inexorable mean?

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.