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miasma
Use
Miasma
in a sentence
mi·as·ma
/
maɪˈæz
mə, mi-
/
Show Spelled
[
mahy-
az
-m
uh
, mee-
]
Show IPA
noun,
plural
mi·as·mas,
mi·as·ma·ta
/
-mə
tə
/
Show Spelled
[
-m
uh
-t
uh
]
Show IPA
.
1.
noxious exhalations from putrescent organic matter; poisonous effluvia or
germs
polluting the atmosphere.
2.
a dangerous, foreboding, or deathlike influence or atmosphere.
Origin:
1655–65;
<
Neo-Latin
<
Greek
míasma
stain, pollution, akin to
miaínein
to pollute, stain
Related forms
mi·as·mal,
mi·as·mat·ic
/
ˌmaɪ
æzˈmæt
ɪk
/
Show Spelled
[
mahy-az-
mat
-ik
]
Show IPA
,
mi·as·mat·i·cal,
mi·as·mic,
adjective
un·mi·as·mal,
adjective
un·mi·as·mat·ic,
adjective
un·mi·as·mat·i·cal,
adjective
un·mi·as·mic,
adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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miasma
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00:10
Miasma
is always a great word to know.
So is
lollapalooza
. Does it mean:
So is
bezoar
. Does it mean:
So is
flibbertigibbet
. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
miasma
(mɪˈæzmə)
—
n
,
pl
-mata
,
-mas
1.
an unwholesome or oppressive atmosphere
2.
pollution in the atmosphere, esp noxious vapours from decomposing organic matter
[C17: New Latin, from Greek: defilement, from
miainein
to defile]
mi'asmal
—
adj
miasmatic
—
adj
mias'matical
—
adj
mi'asmic
—
adj
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
miasma
1665, from Gk. miasma (gen. miasmatos) "stain, pollution," related to miainein "to pollute," from PIE base *mei-/*mai- "to stain, defile" (cf. O.E. mal "stain, mark," see
mole
(1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Over time, a picture takes shape out of the
miasma
of secrecy.
The
miasma
of toxic stink leaves you gasping, breezes batter you with filth,
and even the rats look forlorn.
Suddenly the visitors were enveloped in a foul mist, a
miasma
reeking of
stinking fish, and worse.
However, the book soon descends into a
miasma
of poorly applied statistics.
The doors slide open and a puff of refrigerated air confronts the city's summertime
miasma
.
But moments of complete lucidity occasionally cut through the
miasma
.
There was quite a
miasma
in the traffic tunnels, and some diesel exhaust odor could be smelled in the actual records storage area.
And it isn't only the smears: a general
miasma
of personal nastiness hangs over the government.
How excellent! A truly positive and helpful addition to the
miasma
of suspect data.
In a protracted bear market, such as the 2000-02 market
miasma
, redemptions can last a long time.
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Matching Quote
"There is something about the literary life that repels me, all this desperate building of castles on cobwebs, the long-drawn acrimonious struggle to make something important which we all know will be gone forever in a few years, the
miasma
of failure which is to me almost as offensive as the cheap gaudiness of popular success."
-Raymond Chandler
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Synonyms
pollution
stench
stink
smell
odor
gas
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