Added 9 October 2026
ether
/ˈiː.θə/ noun
Latin root: aethēr Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ether at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies.
- Any of a class of organic compounds that have two hydrocarbon groups linked by an oxygen atom.
- A medium that was once supposed to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves.
Origin
From Middle English ēther (“the caelum aetherum of ancient cosmology in which the planets orbit; a shining, fluid substance described as a form of air or fire; air”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman ether and Middle French ether, ethere, aether, from Old French aether (“highest and purest part of the atmosphere; medium supposedly filling the upper regions of space”) (modern French éther), or directly from its etymon Latin aethēr (“highest and purest part of the atmosphere; air; heavens, sky; light of day; ethereal matter surrounding a deity”) (note also New Latin aethēr (“chemical compound analogous to diethyl ether”)), from Ancient Greek αἰθήρ (aithḗr, “purer upper air of the atmosphere; heaven,.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)