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ethereal - 6 dictionary results
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e⋅the⋅re⋅al

  [i-theer-ee-uhl]
Use ethereal in a Sentence
–adjective
1. light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.
2. extremely delicate or refined: ethereal beauty.
3. heavenly or celestial: gone to his ethereal home.
4. of or pertaining to the upper regions of space.
5. Chemistry. pertaining to, containing, or resembling ethyl ether.
Also, aethereal (for defs. 1–4).

Origin:
1505–15; < L aethere(us) (< Gk aithérios), equiv. to aether- ether + -eus adj. suffix + -al 1

Related forms:
e⋅the⋅re⋅al⋅i⋅ty, e⋅the⋅re⋅al⋅ness, noun
e⋅the⋅re⋅al⋅ly, adverb
e⋅the⋅re⋅ous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ethereal
e·the·re·al   (ĭ-thîr'ē-əl)   
adj.  
  1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
  2. Highly refined; delicate. See Synonyms at airy.
    1. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly.
    2. Not of this world; spiritual.
  4. Chemistry Of or relating to ether.

[From Latin aetherius, from Greek aitherios, from aithēr, upper air.]
e·the're·al'i·ty (-āl'ĭ-tē), e·the're·al·ness n., e·the're·al·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Ethereal

E*the"re*al\, a. 1. Pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere; celestial; as, ethereal space; ethereal regions.

Go, heavenly guest, ethereal messenger. --Milton.

2. Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc.

Vast chain of being, which from God began, Natures ethereal, human, angel, man. --Pope.

3. (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or resembling, ether; as, ethereal salts.

Ethereal oil. (Chem.) See Essential oil, under Essential.

Ethereal oil of wine (Chem.), a heavy, yellow, oily liquid consisting essentially of etherin, etherol, and ethyl sulphate. It is the oily residuum left after etherification. Called also heavy oil of wine (distinguished from oil of wine, or [oe]nanthic ether).

Ethereal salt (Chem.), a salt of some organic radical as a base; an ester.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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ethereal 
1513, from ether (q.v.); extended sense of "light, airy" is from 1598.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ethe·re·al
Pronunciation: i-'thir-E-&l
Function: adjective
: relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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ethereal e·the·re·al (ĭ-thēr'ē-əl)
adj.

  1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
  2. Of, relating to, or containing ether.
e·the're·al'i·ty (-āl'ĭ-tē) or e·the're·al·ness n.
e·the're·al·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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