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View synonyms for ether

ether

[ ee-ther ]

noun

  1. Also called diethyl ether,. Chemistry, Pharmacology. a colorless, highly volatile, flammable liquid, C 4 H 10 O, having an aromatic odor and sweet, burning taste, derived from ethyl alcohol by the action of sulfuric acid: used as a solvent and, formerly, as an inhalant anesthetic.
  2. Chemistry. (formerly) one of a class of compounds in which two organic groups are attached directly to an oxygen atom, having the general formula ROR.
  3. the upper regions of space; the clear sky; the heavens.
  4. the medium supposed by the ancients to fill the upper regions of space.
  5. Physics. a hypothetical substance supposed to occupy all space, postulated to account for the propagation of electromagnetic radiation through space.


ether

/ ˈiːθə; iːˈθɛrɪk /

noun

  1. Also calleddiethyl etherethyl etherethoxyethane a colourless volatile highly flammable liquid with a characteristic sweetish odour, made by the reaction of sulphuric acid with ethanol: used as a solvent and anaesthetic. Formula: C 2 H 5 OC 2 H 5
  2. any of a class of organic compounds with the general formula ROR′ where R and R′ are alkyl groups, as in diethyl ether C 2 H 5 OC 2 H 5
  3. the ether
    the ether the hypothetical medium formerly believed to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves
  4. Greek myth the upper regions of the atmosphere; clear sky or heaven
  5. See air
    a rare word for air


ether

/ ēthər /

  1. An organic compound in which two hydrocarbon groups are linked by an oxygen atom, having the general structure ROR|||PRIMARY_STRESS|||, where R and R|||PRIMARY_STRESS||| are the two hydrocarbon groups. At room temperature, ethers are pleasant-smelling liquids resembling alcohols but less dense and less soluble in water. Ethers are part of many naturally occurring organic compounds, such as starches and sugars, and are widely used in industry and in making pharmaceuticals.
  2. A colorless, flammable liquid used as a solvent and formerly used as an anesthetic. Ether consists of two ethyl groups joined by an oxygen atom. Also called diethyl ether, ethyl ether. Chemical formula: C 4 H 10 O.
  3. A hypothetical medium formerly believed to permeate all space, and through which light and other electromagnetic radiation were thought to move. The existence of ether was disproved by the American physicists Albert Michelson and Edward Morley in 1887.


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Derived Forms

  • etheric, adjective

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Other Words From

  • e·ther·ic [ih-, ther, -ik, ih-, theer, -], adjective
  • su·per·e·ther noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of ether1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin aethēr “the upper air, pure air, ether,” from Greek aithḗr, akin to aíthein “to glow, burn,” Old English ād “funeral pyre,” Latin aestus “heat”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of ether1

C17: from Latin aether, from Greek aithēr, from aithein to burn

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Example Sentences

World-class outdoor destinations like Vermont don’t just materialize out of the ether.

Surprisingly, although anesthesia with ether was first used in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846, the specific processes as to how general anesthetics act at multiple sites to produce anesthetic action remain a mystery.

“So this physical file of her fingerprints had just gone into the ether,” Little said.

Scores of crypto assets, from dogecoin to ether, surged as bitcoin climbed to a record of more than $64,000, up from about $7,000 a year ago, according to CoinDesk data.

From Quartz

Then the band crackled to life, a voice riding a high-frequency wave out of the ether.

We would lack a human face as our symbol; we would exist in the ether of ideas with no concrete stake in the ground to tether us.

A week does not pass without another set of economic numbers blasting through the ether.

Users post a photo, add a question, and send it off into the ether to be answered.

“It almost feels sometimes that Matilda is out in the ether,” she says.

But that particular sword of Damocles has floated off into the ether.

Their heads might have been turned upside-down, so absolutely did they tread upon blue ether.

The metal is then removed, and washed successively with very dilute sodium hydroxid solution, alcohol, and ether.

Suddenly something cluttered up the airways—some sort of interference—and the mystery of the ether died away.

It has the odour of thyme, is sparingly soluble in water, but very soluble in alcohol, ether and in alkaline solutions.

It is very slightly soluble in water, but readily dissolves in alcohol and ether.

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