ent

noun

1. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable)Initialism of ear, nose and throat.
2. (countable, uncountable)An otorhinolaryngologist; an ear, nose and throat doctor.
3. A large, fictional, humanoid, walking tree in works by J. R. R. Tolkien.

   “[…]and that fine young ent Quickbeam is merely a minor crux in an Old English glossary (the name Quickbeam means 'living tree' in Old English).”

   “But this should not lead to complete avoidance, as if it is like some dire incursion of triffids or ents.”

   “Somewhere, ents and manitous laugh grimly For, despite all this, the trees lasted much longer Than most of the presents, and all of the holiday spirit.”

   “Hello, my good friend, myself I present. Not human, nor tree, for I am an ent.”

   “In The Lords of the Rings there are dark forces in the forest—the Huorn. Huorn are ents who have become more treeish, gone rogue. They can still move and speak, but only with the ents.”

4. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of ent.

   “The strange words and names that the Hobbits record as used by Treebeard and other Ents are thus Elvish, or fragments of Elf-speech strung together in Ent-fashion.”

   “Ents and Entwives, Jack thought crazily. BAD Ents and Entwives.”

   “Tolkien's Treebeard, his Ent creation, was inspired by Lewis, especially his sometimes emphatic deep voice”

   “Tolkien perhaps speaks for himself when he has Treebeard confess that "nobody cares for the woods as I care for them," and when this same Ent also warns that "the withering of all woods may be drawing near"”

   “The Ents are a race of giant, tree-like people. Their purpose is to protect the electrons, though some align themselves with holes. However, as the great arrays have grown, the number of Ents has dwindled. Now they are said only to be found in the darkest and most mysterious of laboratories.”

verb

1. (Cornwall)To pour, especially of rain.

   “"[…] ent me out some beer, / Fill up my glass to quinch my thust, Weth bitter like thee'st gove me fust."”

   “A Truro correspondent remembers being sent to buy a teapot with the admonition 'and see he got a good ent to un'; that is, of course, a good 'pour'. "Enting down with rain" is still occasionally heard.”

   “"And look at it enting down. I'm glad I'm not out in it."”

   “'Stay a space longer,' urged Music. 'Look at'n. 'Tis enting down.' 'Put yer clothes on, then,' said Katie. You'll catch yer death.' He dragged off into the scullery and presently emerged in his Sunday best.”