ether

noun \ ˈē-thər \

|Updated on: 3 Jun 2018

Definition of ether

1 a : the rarefied element formerly believed to fill the upper regions of space

b : the upper regions of space : heavens

2 a : a light volatile flammable liquid C₄H₁₀O used chiefly as a solvent and especially formerly as an anesthetic

b : any of a class of organic compounds characterized by an oxygen atom attached to two carbon atoms

3 a or less commonly aether play \ˈē-thər\ : a medium that in the wave theory of light permeates all space and transmits transverse waves

b : airwaves

—

etheric

play \i-ˈther-ik, -ˈthir-\ adjective

See ether defined for English-language learners

See ether defined for kids

Examples of ether in a Sentence

The balloon disappeared into the ether.

Recent Examples of ether from the Web

While The Tig and her social media accounts disappeared from the ether in 2018, thanks to the internet archive Wayback Machine, loyal fans can still revisit some of her content from the past three years.

— refinery29.com, "8 Health Tips From Meghan Markle's Now Defunct Blog," 17 May 2018
Dropbox, a long-in-tooth startup that sells (and also gives away) services that let users store files in the ether, had contemplated selling its shares for between $16 and $18 each.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "Data Sheet—As Dropbox Goes Public, Here's What Sets the Tech Giant Apart," 23 Mar. 2018
What’s scary, really, is the idea in the ether that compassion is effeminate and thereby un-American.

— diana spechler, Harper's BAZAAR, "Anti-Vegetarianism Is Sexism in Disguise," 3 Jan. 2018
The cryptographic puzzle used to mine ether (the digital coin associated with Ethereum) involves a fairly simple maths problem, but the inputs are enormous.

— The Economist, "How a few companies are bitcoining it," 19 May 2018
Old-school heritage brands team with with artsy, edgy ones for a season — maybe three tops — before evaporating into the ether.

— adam tschorn, latimes.com, "Levi's and celebrity stylist Karla Welch collaborate to celebrate '501 Day'," 17 May 2018
The won was the second most-used for trading some alternative cryptocurrencies including ether and Bitcoin Cash, an offshoot of bitcoin.

— alexander osipovich and eun-young jeong, WSJ, "Bitcoin Prices Slide as South Korea’s Largest Crypto Exchange Gets Raided," 11 May 2018
Because of an outsized fear of germs, doctors shaved women’s pubic hair, scrubbed their heads with kerosene, cleaned their nipples and stomachs with ether, and douched them with saline and either whiskey or mercury chloride.

— allison yarrow, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Childbirth Photos Instagram Didn't Want You to See," 11 May 2018
The stakes for the Tezos project have risen to more than $1 billion, the plaintiffs allege, as the value of the ether and Bitcoin tokens which were used to invest in the ICO in July has surged.

— Bloomberg.com, "Switzerland’s Crypto Crush Marred by $1 Billion Spat," 7 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ether.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ether

Middle English, from Latin aether, from Greek aithēr, from aithein to ignite, blaze; akin to Old English ād pyre — more at edify

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

ETHER Defined for English Language Learners

ether

noun

Definition of ether for English Language Learners

: a liquid that burns easily, that is used to turn solid substances into liquid, and that was used in medicine in the past to prevent patients from feeling pain during operations
the ether : the air : the sky

ETHER Defined for Kids

ether

noun \ ˈē-thər \

Definition of ether for Students

: a light flammable liquid used to dissolve fats and especially in the past as an anesthetic

Medical Dictionary

ether

noun \ ˈē-thər \

medical Definition of ether

1 : a medium that in the wave theory of light permeates all space and transmits transverse waves

2 a : a light volatile flammable liquid C₄H₁₀O used especially formerly chiefly as an anesthetic — called also diethyl ether, ethyl ether, ethyl oxide

b : any of various organic compounds characterized by an oxygen atom attached to two carbon atoms