aether
|ae-ther|
🇺🇸
/ˈiːθər/
🇬🇧
/ˈiːθə/
pure essence or medium
Etymology
'aether' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'aithēr,' where 'aith-' meant 'to burn or shine.'
'aithēr' transformed into the Latin word 'aether,' and eventually became the modern English word 'aether.'
Initially, it meant 'the upper pure, bright air,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a medium for light propagation.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
aether is a classical element, considered to be the pure essence that the gods breathed, filling the space where they lived, analogous to the air breathed by mortals.
In ancient Greek mythology, aether was believed to be the pure air that the gods breathed.
Synonyms
Noun 2
in modern physics, aether was once hypothesized as a medium for the propagation of light.
The concept of aether was eventually dismissed with the advent of Einstein's theory of relativity.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/05/21 16:06