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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a moment in which a person suddenly sees or understands something in a new or very clear way
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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
He produced some majestic and ethereal imagery.
Margaret was small, fair and ethereal.
It's one of those times when a movement that seemed ethereal and idealistic
  became a reality and took on political substance.
In the book you convey this somewhat ethereal thing about her.
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