hidden pixel

Air Definition

air

See also -air

Contents

English

Wikipedia has an article on: Air (disambiguation)

Etymology

From Middle English air, eir (“gas, atmosphere”), from Anglo-Norman aeir, eyer, Old French aire, eir, from Latin āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aér, “wind, atmosphere”). Displaced native Middle English luft, lift (“air”) (from Old English lyft (“air, atmosphere”)), Middle English loft (“air, upper region”) (from Old Norse lopt (“air, sky, loft”)). More at lift, loft.

Pronunciation

Noun

air (countable and uncountable; plural airs)

  1. (uncountable, historical, astrology, alchemy, sciences) The atmospheric substance above the surface of the earth which animals breathe, formerly considered to be a single substance, one of the four basic elements of ancient philosophy and one of the five basic elements of Eastern traditions.
  2. (uncountable, physics, meteorology) Now understood as the mixture of gases comprising the earth's atmosphere.
    The karate instructor said "air is the one thing you can't go five minutes without; when you spar, you have to remember to breathe."
  3. (usually with the) The apparently open space above the ground; the mass of this substance around the earth.
    The flock of birds took to the air.
    There was a tension in the air which made me suspect an approaching storm.
  4. A feeling or sense.
    ...to give it an air of artistry and sophistication.
    • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,
      The girl stooped to pluck a rose, and as she bent over it, her profile was clearly outlined. She held the flower to her face with a long-drawn inhalation, then went up the steps, crossed the piazza, opened the door without knocking, and entered the house with the air of one thoroughly at home.
  5. A sense of poise, graciousness, or quality.
    • 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, Volume I, Chapter 4:
      "He is very plain, undoubtedly--remarkably plain:--but that is nothing compared with his entire want of gentility. I had no right to expect much, and I did not expect much; but I had no idea that he could be so very clownish, so totally without air. I had imagined him, I confess, a degree or two nearer gentility."
  6. (usually plural) Pretension; snobbishness; pretence that one is better than others.
    • ...putting on airs...
  7. (music) A song, especially a solo; an aria.
    • 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 18:
      "If I," said Mr. Collins, "were so fortunate as to be able to sing, I should have great pleasure, I am sure, in obliging the company with an air; for I consider music as a very innocent diversion, and perfectly compatible with the profession of a clergyman..."
  8. (informal) Nothing; absence of anything.
  9. (uncountable) An air conditioner or the processed air it produces.
    Could you turn on the air?
  10. (obsolete, chemistry) Any specific gas.
  11. (snowboarding, skateboarding) A jump in which one becomes airborne.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from air

Look at pages starting with air.

Related terms

Verb

air (third-person singular simple present airs, present participle airing, simple past and past participle aired)

  1. To bring (something) into contact with the air, so as to freshen or dry it.
  2. To let fresh air into a room or a building, to ventilate.
    It's getting quite stuffy in this room: let's open the windows and air it.
  3. To discuss varying viewpoints on a given topic.
    • 1917, National Geographic, v.31, March 1917:
      Thus, in spite of all opposition, the rural and urban assemblies retained the germ of local government, and in spite of the dual control, as the result of which much of their influence was nullified, they did have a certain value in airing abuses and suggesting improvements.
  4. To broadcast, as with a television show.

Translations

to bring into contact with the air
to ventilate
  • Macedonian: проветрува (mk) (provétruva)
  • Portuguese: ventilar (pt)
  • Romanian: a ventila (ro)
  • Russian: проветривать (ru) (prov'étrivat') impf., проветрить (ru) (prov'étrit') pf.
  • Swahili: hawa (sw)
  • Swedish: vädra (sv)
to discuss varying viewpoints
to broadcast
  • Italian: mandare in onda (it)
  • Lithuanian: transliuoti (lt)
  • Portuguese: exibir (pt)
  • Swahili: hewa (sw)

Statistics

Anagrams

Cornish

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

air m.

  1. air

Dutch

Pronunciation

Noun

air m.

  1. air (pretension)

French

Etymology

From Latin āēr.

Pronunciation

Noun

air m. (plural airs)

  1. air (gases of the atmosphere)
  2. tune, aria
  3. appearance
  4. air (pretension)

Related terms

Anagrams

Gothic

Romanization

air

  1. Romanization of 𐌰𐌹𐍂

Indonesian

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian, compare 'Are'are, Fijian, Hawaiian and Maori wai.

Noun

air

  1. water

Malay

Malay Wikipedia has an article on: Air

Wikipedia ms

air

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiR.

Noun

air

  1. water

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

Preposition

air

  1. on, upon
    air bàrr a' bhalla - on top of the wall
  2. of, concerning
    iomradh air do ghliocas - a report of thy wisdom
  3. for, on account of
    air an aobhar sin - for that reason
  4. by
    air ainm - by name

Usage notes

Derived terms

Combining

pronoun

 Prepositional

pronoun

 Prepositional

pronoun (emphatic)
mi orm ormsa
tu ort ortsa
e air airsan
i oirre oirrese
sinn oirnn oirnne
sibh oirbh oirbhse
iad orra orrasan

Pronoun

air

  1. on him
  2. on it

See also

References

 

The above information uses material from Wiktionary and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Tue May 8 17:18:22 2012.
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

More Definition Results for "Air"
[Hide]▼
'Air' Images
[Hide]▲