air
/ˈɛə̯/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms airs airing aired aire ayre eyr ayr
- noun (uncountable) The substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases. “This drill runs on compressed air.”
- noun The substance of the atmosphere seen as an agency of freshness. “I'm going outside to get some air.”
- noun (historical, philosophy, alchemy) One of the four elements of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
- noun (figurative) The surrounding ambience or mood; see also in the air. “The air was tense as the judge rose to deliver his verdict.”
- noun (historical, medicine) A local environment or atmosphere, in the context of its effects on behavior, health, weather, etc. “There was a tension in the air which made me suspect an approaching storm.”
- noun (uncountable, usually with the) The apparently open space above the ground which this substance fills, (historical) formerly thought to be limited by the firmament but (meteorology) now considered to be surrounded by the near-vacuum of outer space. “The flock of birds took to the air.”
- noun (uncountable, loosely) The substance of the atmosphere on a planet other than Earth. “The air on Mars is very thin and consists mostly of carbon dioxide.”
- noun A breeze; a gentle wind.
- verb (transitive) To bring (something) into contact with the air, so as to freshen or dry it. “I'll hang these clothes on the rack to air them.”
- verb (transitive) 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.”
- verb (transitive) To make public (an opinion, concern, issue, secret, differences, etc); to present to public view (and sometimes discussion). “Residents used the public meeting to air their concerns about the poor state of the roads.”
- verb (transitive) To broadcast (a television show etc.). “The BBC decided not to air the controversial episode.”
- verb (intransitive) To be broadcast. “This game show first aired in the 1990s and is still going today.”
- verb (transitive, UK, MLE, slang) To ignore (a person). “Why is this girl airing me?”
- proper noun (rail transport) The station code of Airport in Hong Kong.
- proper noun A massif in Niger.
Synonyms
wind atmosphere aura luft nimbus gas breeze zephyr gentle wind tune melody strain melodic line line melodic phrase airwave air travel aviation air out aerate send broadcast beam transmit publicize publicise bare vent ventilate
Etymology
From Middle English aire, from Old French air, from Latin āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr). Displaced native Old English lyft. More at lift, loft.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The fluid which we breathe, and which surrounds the earth; the atmosphere. It is invisible, inodorous, insipid, transparent, compressible, elastic, and ponderable.
- noun Symbolically: Something unsubstantial, light, or volatile. "Charm ache with air." Shak.
- verb To expose to the air for the purpose of cooling, refreshing, or purifying; to ventilate; as, to air a room.
- verb To expose for the sake of public notice; to display ostentatiously; as, to air one's opinion.
Etymology [OE. air, eir, F. air, L. aër, fr. Gr. wind. In sense 10 the French has taking a meaning fr. It. aria atmosphere, air, fr. the same Latin word; and in senses 11, 12, 13 the French meaning is either fr. L. aria, or due to confusion with F. aire, in an older sense of origin, descent. Cf. A, Debonair, Malaria, Wind.]
Etymology [See Air, n., and cf. A.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “air”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details