air

Meanings

Noun

• The substance constituting earth's atmosphere, particularly:
• The apparently open space above the ground which this substance fills, formerly thought to be limited by the firmament but now considered to be surrounded by the near vacuum of outer space.
• A breeze; a gentle wind.
• A feeling or sense.
• A sense of poise, graciousness, or quality.
• Pretension; snobbishness; pretence that one is better than others.
• A song, especially a solo; an aria.
• Nothing; absence of anything.
• An air conditioner or the processed air it produces.
• Any specific gas.
• A jump in which one becomes airborne.
• A television or radio signal; media broadcasts in general.
• Publicity.

Verb

• To bring (something) into contact with the air, so as to freshen or dry it.
• To let fresh air into a room or a building, to ventilate.
• To discuss varying viewpoints on a given topic.
• To broadcast (a television show etc.).
• To be broadcast.
• To ignore (a person).

Related

Similar words

• atmosphere
• aura
• luft
• nimbus
• gas

Origin

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