ether

ether
\ \ [17] Greek aithér denoted the ‘upper atmosphere’, and by extension the ‘substance that permeated the cosmos’, from which the stars and planets were made. It was a derivative of the verb aíthein ‘ignite, blaze, shine’, a relative of Latin aestās ‘summer’, from which English gets aestivate [17]. It passed into English via Latin aethēr, and to begin with was used in its original Greek senses. Its application to the liquid with anaesthetic properties dates from the mid 18th century, the use of its first syllable in the names of organic compounds in the bicarbon series (such as ethyl and ethane) from the mid 19th century.
\ \ Cf.⇒ AESTIVATE, ETHYL

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • ÉTHER — La notion d’éther est aussi vieille que la physique, mais sa signification a considérablement varié, suivant en cela l’évolution des théories et les progrès de l’expérience. Oscillant entre l’idée de feu, de lumière et celle de représentation… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ether — E ther ([=e] th[ e]r), n. [L. aether, Gr. a iqh r, fr. a i qein to light up, kindle, burn, blaze; akin to Skr. idh, indh, and prob. to E. idle: cf. F. [ e]ther.] [Written also {[ae]ther}.] 1. (Physics) A medium of great elasticity and extreme… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ether — Éther Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ether — [ e:tɐ]: vgl. ↑ Äther. * * * Ether 〈m. 3; unz.; Chem.; fachsprachl.〉 = Äther * * * E|ther [griech. aithe̅̓r = obere Luft, Himmelsluft; vgl. Äther (1)], der; s, ; veraltete S: Äther: 1) Gruppenbez. für org. Verb. der allg. Formel R1 O R2, wobei… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • ether — late 14c., upper regions of space, from O.Fr. ether and directly from L. aether the upper pure, bright air, from Gk. aither upper air; bright, purer air; the sky, from aithein to burn, shine, from PIE root *aidh to burn (see EDIFICE (Cf.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • ether — ► NOUN 1) (also diethyl ether) a volatile, highly flammable liquid used as an anaesthetic and as a solvent. 2) Chemistry any organic compound with an oxygen atom linking two alkyl groups. 3) (also aether) chiefly literary the clear sky; the upper …   English terms dictionary

  • ether — [ē′thər] n. [ME < L aether < Gr aithēr < aithein, to kindle, burn < IE base * aidh > L aestas, summer, OE ætan, to burn] 1. a substance hypothesized by the ancients as filling all space beyond the sphere of the moon, and making up… …   English World dictionary

  • ETHER — civitas in tribu Iudae. Iosuae c. 15. v. 42. Lat. oratio, sive deprecatio …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Ether — vgl. ↑Äther …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • ether — atmosphere, *air, ozone …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Ether — vgl. 2Äther …   Die deutsche Rechtschreibung

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