ether
noun
ˈē-thər 
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
ˈē-thər
: a medium that in the wave theory of light permeates all space and transmits transverse waves b
: airwaves
etheric
i-ˈther-ik
adjective -ˈthir-
Example Sentences
The balloon disappeared into the ether.
Recent Examples on the Web Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees the CFTC, are pitching legislation that would assign oversight of the two largest cryptocurrencies—bitcoin and ether—to that agency. 
Andrew Ackerman, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 The Encyclopedia of Arkansas includes information that's not always readily available or easily accessible -- information that might be lost to the ether without some sort of digital mooring. Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2022 Ethereum’s 27-year-old co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has reclaimed the title of world’s youngest crypto billionaire, thanks to ether’s latest gains. Nina Bambysheva, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021 The Swedish entrepreneur delivered Wednesday at the company’s first investor day as a public company, putting a massive growth target into the ether: $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030, roughly 10 times its haul from 2021. Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 9 June 2022 They were convinced that any photograph would find its way into the ether and the Russians would see it and zero in on the location and send a rocket. James Verini, New York Times, 19 May 2022 Photographs in his file show a handsome, if rather vague-looking, man, his eyes sometimes boring into the camera, other times drifting off into the ether. oregonlive, 20 Apr. 2022 What connects them through the ether of the living room isn’t common electricity but dulcetly sizzling love. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2021 Here is the tricky part of remote technology: All of those devices send information about us through the ether. Lisa Esch, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2021 See More
Andrew Ackerman, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 The Encyclopedia of Arkansas includes information that's not always readily available or easily accessible -- information that might be lost to the ether without some sort of digital mooring. Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2022 Ethereum’s 27-year-old co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has reclaimed the title of world’s youngest crypto billionaire, thanks to ether’s latest gains. Nina Bambysheva, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021 The Swedish entrepreneur delivered Wednesday at the company’s first investor day as a public company, putting a massive growth target into the ether: $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030, roughly 10 times its haul from 2021. Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 9 June 2022 They were convinced that any photograph would find its way into the ether and the Russians would see it and zero in on the location and send a rocket. James Verini, New York Times, 19 May 2022 Photographs in his file show a handsome, if rather vague-looking, man, his eyes sometimes boring into the camera, other times drifting off into the ether. oregonlive, 20 Apr. 2022 What connects them through the ether of the living room isn’t common electricity but dulcetly sizzling love. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2021 Here is the tricky part of remote technology: All of those devices send information about us through the ether. Lisa Esch, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin aether, from Greek aithēr, from aithein to ignite, blaze; akin to Old English ād pyre — more at edify
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing ether
Kids Definition
ether
noun
ˈē-thər
: a light flammable liquid used to dissolve fats and especially in the past as an anesthetic
Medical Definition
ether
noun
ˈē-thər
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