gas

gas
\ \ [17] We get gas from a Flemish pronunciation of Greek kháos ‘chasm, void’ (a derivative of Indo-European *ghəw- ‘hollow’, and source of English chaos [15]). The Flemish chemist J B van Helmont (1577–1644) used the Greek word to denote an occult principal, supposedly an ultra-refined form of water, which he postulated as existing in all matter. The sound of Greek kh is roughly equivalent of that represented by Dutch and Flemish g, and so the word came to be spelled gas. Its modern application to any indefinitely expanding substance dates from the late 18th century.
\ \ The derivative gasoline, source of American English gas ‘petrol’, dates from the late 19th century.
\ \ Cf.⇒ CHAOS

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Gas — [ga:s], das; es, e: 1. a) unsichtbarer Stoff in der Form wie Luft: giftiges, brennbares, explosives Gas; einen Ballon mit Gas füllen; zu Gas werden; in der Flüssigkeit sind mehrere Gase aufgelöst. b) brennbares, zum Kochen und Heizen verwendetes… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • gas — s.m.inv. 1a. FO ogni sostanza che, a temperatura e pressione normale, è allo stato aeriforme, in contrapposizione ai solidi e ai liquidi, e non presenta forma e volume propri 1b. TS fis., chim. sostanza aeriforme che si trova al di sopra della… …   Dizionario italiano

  • Gas — (g[a^]s), n.; pl. {Gases} (g[a^]s [e^]z). [Invented by the chemist Van Helmont of Brussels, who died in 1644.] 1. An a[ e]riform fluid; a term used at first by chemists as synonymous with air, but since restricted to fluids supposed to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gas — (Palabra inventada por el científico flamenco J. B. van Helmont en el siglo XVII, sobre el lat. chaos). 1. m. Fluido que tiende a expandirse indefinidamente y que se caracteriza por su pequeña densidad, como el aire. 2. Cada uno de los gases… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

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  • gas — [gæs] noun gases PLURALFORM or gasses [countable, uncountable] a substance which is not solid or liquid at normal temperatures, and which usually cannot be seen: • Greenhouse gases are the direct result of pollution …   Financial and business terms

  • gas — [gas] n. pl. gases or gasses [gas′iz] [ModL, altered by Van Helmont (1577 1644), Belgian chemist (with g pronounced, as in Du, as a voiced fricative) < Gr chaos, air (see CHAOS), term used by Paracelsus] 1. the fluid form of a substance in… …   English World dictionary

  • Gas CS — Nombre (IUPAC) sistemático …   Wikipedia Español

  • Gas — Gas. Die Eigenthümlichkeit der Gase, welche elastische Flüssigkeiten, Luftarten sind, besteht in dem Bestreben der kleinsten Theilchen, sich möglichst weit von einander zu entfernen, daher üben sie auf ihre Umgebung einen allseitigen Druck aus u …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Gas — (g[a^]s), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Gassed} (g[a^]st); p. pr. & vb. n. {Gassing}.] 1. (Textiles) To singe, as in a gas flame, so as to remove loose fibers; as, to gas thread. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. To impregnate with gas; as, to gas lime with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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