Main Entry:

¹va·por

Pronunciation:

\ˈvā-pər\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English vapour, from Anglo-French vapor, from Latin, steam, vapor

Date:

14th century

1: diffused matter (as smoke or fog) suspended floating in the air and impairing its transparency2 a: a substance in the gaseous state as distinguished from the liquid or solid state b: a substance (as gasoline, alcohol, mercury, or benzoin) vaporized for industrial, therapeutic, or military uses ; also : a mixture (as the explosive mixture in an internal combustion engine) of such a vapor with air3 a: something unsubstantial or transitory : phantasm b: a foolish or fanciful idea4plural aarchaic : exhalations of bodily organs (as the stomach) held to affect the physical or mental condition b: a depressed or hysterical nervous condition