The edible egg of a domesticated fowl, esp. a hen's egg.

(a) fel or skin of an ei, the membrane lining an eggshell; glair or whit of an ei, the white of an egg; oil of eiren, an oil extracted from eggs; yolk or yelk of an ~; (b) hard ~, an egg boiled or roasted hard; rere ~, an underdone or partially cooked egg; suppi ~, a soft egg intended to be supped; fried ~; rosted ~; sodden ~, a boiled egg; rau ~; foul ~, a rotten egg; (c) ei cake, eier monger, ei shel, ei silver, ei yolk, q. v.

(a) henne ei, gos ~, etc.; (b) chough ei, gripe(s) ~, oul ~, sperhauk ~, etc.; (c) griffounes ei, etc.

(a) The egg or reproductive body of a fish, reptile, amphibian; cokedril ei, evet ~; (b) the pupa of an insect; (c) the egg sack of a spider.

In phrase wind ei, a malformed or shell-less egg. [Sometimes explained as the result of the wind's action upon the reproductive organs of a bird or fowl.]

Alch. ei of philosophers, a 'stone' possessing the power to transmute the elements, the philosophers' stone, the 'philosophers' eye.'

Miscellaneous expressions and sayings: not worth an ei, worthless; given not an ei, not to mind or care; etc.