Ether - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Ether is a colorless, highly volatile liquid used as a solvent or anesthetic. In physics, it historically referred to a hypothetical medium thought to permeate space and transmit light waves.
Definition:
A volatile liquid used as an anesthetic or solvent, or the clear sky.
Synonyms:
sky, heavens, empyrean, firmament
Part of Speech:
noun
Antonyms:
earth, ground
Common Collocations:
ether anesthesia, ether vapor, ether layer
Derivatives:
ethereal, etherize
Usage Tips:
Use "ether" for the chemical or poetic references to the sky; avoid confusion with "either."
Common Phrases:
in the ether, ether of space, floating in the ether
Etymology:
From Greek "aithēr," meaning upper air or pure fresh air.
Examples:
- 1. The chemist distilled the ether carefully.
- 2. The plane disappeared into the blue ether.
- 3. Ether was once a common anesthetic.
- 4. Her thoughts seemed lost in the ether.