A-Z Challenge 2013: E is for Engross

Aha! Got you! You thought you knew what 'engross' meant, didn't you?  The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "to take or engage the whole attention of", with the example of "a mystery story that will engross readers all the way to the surprise ending".

But as it applies to genealogy (although I must confess to becoming engrossed when working on my family

tree), it has a different meaning.  Or two.

1) If there were lands/houses supporting two or more families, and then these houses and lands were gathered together and owned by one person, they were said to have been 'engrossed'.

2) If you were a calligrapher, you could 'engross' a legal document into formal script..  And if you remember pictures of monks doing calligraphic writing, they are always hunched over their desks.  Engrossed in engrossing?