Hypertext Webster Gateway: "ether"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Ether \E"ther\, n. [L. aether, Gr. ?, fr. ? 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
tenuity, supposed to pervade all space, the interior of
solid bodies not excepted, and to be the medium of
transmission of light and heat; hence often called
{luminiferous ether}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
ether
n 1: a colorless volatile highly inflammable liquid used as an
inhalation anesthetic [syn: {ethoxyethane}, {divinyl
ether}, {vinyl ether}, {diethel ether}, {ethyl ether}]
2: (archaic) the fifth and highest element after air and earth
and fire and water; was believed to be the substance
composing all heavenly bodies [syn: {quintessence}]
3: a medium that was once supposed to fill all space and to
support the propagation of electromagnetic waves [syn: {aether}]
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