apt ( ²pt) adj. 1. Exactly suitable; appropriate: an apt reply. See note at fit 1 . 2. Having a natural tendency; inclined: She is apt to take offense easily. See note at liable likely . 3. Quick to learn or understand: an apt student. [Middle English from Old French apte from Latin aptus, past participle of apere to fasten] apt "ly adv. apt "ness n.

APT ( ³"p¶-t¶") n. Computer Science 1. A language designed for programming numerically controlled machine tools. [ A(utomatically) P(rogrammed) T(ool)]

e·lu·sive ( ¹-l›"s¹v, -z ¹v) adj. 1. Tending to elude capture, perception, comprehension, or memory: " an invisible cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist [himself] " David Kline 2. Difficult to define or describe: " Failures are more finely etched in our minds than triumphs, and success is an elusive, if not mythic, goal in our demanding society " Hugh Drummond [From Latin ¶l¿sus,past participle of¶l¿dereto elude; See elude ] e·lu "sive·ly adv. e·lu "sive·ness n.

e·lude ( ¹-l›d") v. tr. e·lud·ed e·lud·ing e·ludes 1. To evade or escape from, as by daring, cleverness, or skill: The suspect continues to elude the police. 2. To escape the understanding or grasp of: a name that has always eluded me; a metaphor that eluded them. See note at escape . [Latin ¶l¿dere¶-, ex- ex- l¿dere to play( from l¿dus play) ;See leid- in Indo-European Roots.]

leid- . Important derivatives are: ludicrous allude collude delude elude illusion interlude prelude To play, jest. I. Suffixed o-grade form *loid-o- . LUDIC , LUDICROUS ; ALLUDE , COLLUDE , DELUDE , ELUDE , ILLUSION , INTERLUDE , PRELUDE , PROLUSION , from Latin l ¿dus, game, play, with its derivative l ¿dere, to play (but both words may possibly be from Etruscan ). [ Pokorny leid- 666. ]

e·mo·tive ( ¹-m½"t¹v) adj. 1. Of or relating to emotion: the emotive aspect of symbols. 2. Characterized by, expressing, or exciting emotion: an emotive trial lawyer; the emotive issue of nuclear disarmament. e·mo "tive·ly adv. e·mo "tive·ness or e "mo·tiv"i·ty ( ¶"m½-t¹v"¹-t¶) n.

e·ro·sive ( ¹-r½"s¹v) adj. 1. Causing erosion: the erosive effect of ocean waves on the shoreline. e·ro "sive·ness or e·ro "siv"i·ty n.

e·va·sive ( ¹-v³"s¹v) adj. 1. Inclined or intended to evade: took evasive action. 2. Intentionally vague or ambiguous; equivocal: an evasive statement. e·va "sive·ly adv. e·va "sive·ness n.

e·vade ( ¹-v³d") v. e·vad·ed e·vad·ing e·vades v. tr. 1. To escape or avoid by cleverness or deceit: evade arrest. 2. a. To avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing: evade responsibility. See note at escape . b. To fail to make payment of (taxes). 3. To avoid giving a direct answer to. 4. To baffle or elude: The accident evades explanation. v. intr. 1. To practice evasion. 2. To use cleverness or deceit in avoiding or escaping. [French évader from Latin ¶v³dere¶-, ex- ex- v³dere to go] e·vad "a·ble or e·vad "i·ble adj. e·vad "er n.