ethereal
[ih-theer-ee-uh l]
- light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.
- extremely delicate or refined: ethereal beauty.
- heavenly or celestial: gone to his ethereal home.
- of or relating to the upper regions of space.
- Chemistry. pertaining to, containing, or resembling ethyl ether.
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Also ae·the·re·al (for defs 1–4).
Origin of ethereal
aether
[ee-ther]
- ether(defs 3–5).
- (initial capital letter) the ancient Greek personification of the clear upper air of the sky.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for aethereal
Historical Examples
No stronger proof of their aethereal conversational earnestness could be offered.
The Amazing Marriage, CompleteGeorge Meredith
We on the earth's surface live night and day in the midst of aethereal commotion.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2John Tyndall
aethereal
- a variant spelling of ethereal (def. 1), ethereal (def. 2), ethereal (def. 3)
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aether
- a variant spelling of ether (def. 3), ether (def. 4), ether (def. 5)
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ethereal
- extremely delicate or refined; exquisite
- almost as light as air; impalpable; airy
- celestial or spiritual
- of, containing, or dissolved in an ether, esp diethyl etheran ethereal solution
- of or relating to the ether
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin aethereus, from Greek aitherios, from aithēr ether
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for aethereal
ethereal
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ethereal
(ĭ-thîr′ē-əl)- Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
- Of, relating to, or containing ether.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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