Definify.com
Webster 1828 Edition
Ether
E'THER
,Noun.
1.
A thin, subtil matter, much finer and rarer than air, which, some philosophers suppose, begins from the limits of the atmosphere and occupies the heavenly space.There fields of light and liquid ether flow.
2.
In chimistry, a very light, volatile and inflammable fluid, produced by the distillation of alcohol or rectified spirit of wine, with an acid. It is lighter than alcohol, of a strong sweet smell, susceptible of great expansion, and of a pungent taste. It is so volatile, that when shaken it is dissipated in an instant.Definition 2024
Ether
Ether
English
Proper noun
Ether
- (Roman mythology) The god/personification of the bright, glowing upper air of heaven. He is the Roman counterpart of Aether.
- (Mormonism) The ancient American prophet of Mormon theology who wrote the Book of Ether in the Book of Mormon.
Translations
Roman God
ancient American figure of Mormon theology
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Anagrams
ether
ether
English
Alternative forms
- aether (British spelling, obsolete in chemistry), æther (dated British spelling), aethyr, ethyr (archaic spellings)
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -iːθə(r)
Noun
ether (countable and uncountable, plural ethers)
- (organic chemistry, countable) A compound containing an oxygen atom bonded to two hydrocarbon groups.
- (organic chemistry, uncountable) Diethyl ether (C4H10O), a compound used as an early anaesthetic.
- (ancient philosophy and alchemy, uncountable) A classical physical element, considered as prevalent in the heavens and inaccessible to humans. In some versions of alchemy, this was the fifth element in addition to air, earth, fire and water.
- (archaic, physics, uncountable) A substance (aether) once thought to fill all space that allowed electromagnetic waves to pass through it and interact with matter, without exerting any resistance to matter or energy (disproved by Einstein in his Theory of Relativity).
- 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
- Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
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- (poetic or literary) The sky or heavens; the upper air.
Quotations
- For usage examples of this term, see Citations:ether.
Derived terms
Derived terms
Translations
organic chemistry: a compound containing an oxygen atom bonded to two hydrocarbon groups
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organic chemistry: diethyl ether, C4H10O
the fifth classic physical element
archaic: space filling substance
poetic and literary: the sky or heavens; the upper air
Etymology 2
Hip hop slang. Originates from song by Nas, Ether (song).
Verb
ether (third-person singular simple present ethers, present participle ethering, simple past and past participle ethered)
- (transitive, slang) To viciously insult.
- The battle rapper ethered his opponent and caused him to slink away in shame.
- 2014 February 26, “HS Coach Gets Ethered By Girlfriend On FB, Resigns Amid Investigation”, in Deadspin:
Quotations
For usage examples of this term, see Citations:ether.
Anagrams
Dutch
Pronunciation
Noun
ether m (plural ethers)
- (broadcasting) air, broadcasting
- De televisieaanbieder gaat digitale televisie via de ether uitzenden. The television provider is going to broadcast digital television over the air.
- ether
Derived terms
Anagrams
Portuguese
Noun
ether m (plural etheres)
- Obsolete spelling of éter (used in Portugal until September 1911 and died out in Brazil during the 1920s).