e·the·re·al

[ih-theer-ee-uhl]
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; < Latin aethere(us) (< Greek aithérios), equivalent to aether- ether + -eus adj. suffix + -al1

e·the·re·al·i·ty, e·the·re·al·ness, noun
e·the·re·al·ly, adverb
e·the·re·ous, adjective
non·e·the·re·al, adjective
non·e·the·re·al·ly, adverb
non·e·the·re·al·ness, noun
non·e·the·re·al·i·ty, noun
un·e·the·re·al, adjective
un·e·the·re·al·ly, adverb
un·e·the·re·al·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value.
Collins
World English Dictionary
ethereal (ɪˈθɪərɪəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  extremely delicate or refined; exquisite
2.  almost as light as air; impalpable; airy
3.  celestial or spiritual
4.  of, containing, or dissolved in an ether, esp diethyl ether: an ethereal solution
5.  of or relating to the ether
 
[C16: from Latin aethereus, from Greek aitherios, from aithērether]
 
ethere'ality
 
n
 
e'therealness
 
n
 
e'thereally
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ethereal
1510s, from ether + -al; extended sense of "light, airy" is from 1598.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

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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Example sentences
Hill remains an ethereal presence, heard but rarely seen.
Rather it is exquisite, ethereal in its handling of colour and form.
In that moment, the gas surrounding the subject is ionized, leaving behind
  ethereal coronas.
Others find it angelic, heavenly, ethereal.
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