miasma

noun

mi·as·ma mī-ˈaz-mə How to pronounce miasma (audio)

mē-

plural miasmas also miasmata mī-ˈaz-mə-tə How to pronounce miasma (audio)

mē-

: a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease

also : a heavy vaporous emanation (see emanation sense 2) or atmosphere

a miasma of tobacco smoke

: an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt

freed from the miasma of poverty

Sir Arthur Bryant

the enervating miasma of fear

The Times Literary Supplement (London)

also : an atmosphere that obscures : fog

miasmal

mī-ˈaz-məl How to pronounce miasma (audio)

mē-

adjective

miasmatic

ˌmī-əz-ˈma-tik How to pronounce miasma (audio)

mē-

adjective

miasmic

mī-ˈaz-mik How to pronounce miasma (audio)

mē-

adjective

miasmically

mī-ˈaz-mi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce miasma (audio)

mē-

adverb

Did you know?

In notes taken during a voyage to South America on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, Charles Darwin described an illness that he believed was caused by "miasma" emanating from stagnant pools of water. For him, miasma had the same meaning that it did when it first appeared in English in the 1600s: an emanation of a vaporous disease-causing substance. (Miasma comes from Greek miainein, meaning "to pollute.") But while Darwin was at sea, broader applications of miasma were starting to spread. Nowadays, we know germs are the source of infection, so we're more likely to use the newer, more figurative sense of miasma, which refers to something destructive or demoralizing that surrounds or permeates.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The surface of that hell-planet is a miasma of carbon dioxide, crushing pressures, and fiery temperatures.

Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 17 Aug. 2022 Our traditional workplace disappeared in the miasma of COVID-19 yet the future of work remains amorphous and undefined.

Erica Ariel Fox, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 But after the funerals end and the crowds go away, pain settles like miasma.

Elizabeth Williamson, The Atlantic, 2 June 2022 Wild fires sprung up as temperatures soared, including at a vast landfill in the environs of Delhi that engulfed the Indian capital in a miasma of toxic smoke.

Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2022 In the decades following the Civil War, doctors and researchers built on a nascent understanding of germs to refute outdated ideas about the causes of infection, like miasma theory, which blamed the foul air of decay and refuse.

John Last, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 May 2022 But McCarthy and his party are so lost in a miasma of tribalism and lies that this humiliation didn’t matter.

George Packer, The Atlantic, 18 May 2022 The 21st century demands a flattened, deadpan voice, as Fuyuko tries to liberate herself, in fits and starts, from the miasma of her life.

Washington Post, 5 May 2022 The disease that has caused them so much pain has been perpetually on the news and on people’s lips—a miasma of triggers that has kept their grief raw.

Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2022 See More

单词	miasmas
释义	miasma noun mi·as·ma mī-ˈaz-mə mē- plural miasmas also miasmata mī-ˈaz-mə-tə mē- 1 : a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease also : a heavy vaporous emanation (see emanation sense 2) or atmosphere a miasma of tobacco smoke 2 : an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt freed from the miasma of poverty Sir Arthur Bryant the enervating miasma of fear The Times Literary Supplement (London) also : an atmosphere that obscures : fog miasmal mī-ˈaz-məl mē- adjective miasmatic ˌmī-əz-ˈma-tik mē- adjective miasmic mī-ˈaz-mik mē- adjective miasmically mī-ˈaz-mi-k(ə-)lē mē- adverb Did you know? In notes taken during a voyage to South America on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, Charles Darwin described an illness that he believed was caused by "miasma" emanating from stagnant pools of water. For him, miasma had the same meaning that it did when it first appeared in English in the 1600s: an emanation of a vaporous disease-causing substance. (Miasma comes from Greek miainein, meaning "to pollute.") But while Darwin was at sea, broader applications of miasma were starting to spread. Nowadays, we know germs are the source of infection, so we're more likely to use the newer, more figurative sense of miasma, which refers to something destructive or demoralizing that surrounds or permeates. Example Sentences Recent Examples on the Web The surface of that hell-planet is a miasma of carbon dioxide, crushing pressures, and fiery temperatures. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 17 Aug. 2022 Our traditional workplace disappeared in the miasma of COVID-19 yet the future of work remains amorphous and undefined. Erica Ariel Fox, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 But after the funerals end and the crowds go away, pain settles like miasma. Elizabeth Williamson, The Atlantic, 2 June 2022 Wild fires sprung up as temperatures soared, including at a vast landfill in the environs of Delhi that engulfed the Indian capital in a miasma of toxic smoke. Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2022 In the decades following the Civil War, doctors and researchers built on a nascent understanding of germs to refute outdated ideas about the causes of infection, like miasma theory, which blamed the foul air of decay and refuse. John Last, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 May 2022 But McCarthy and his party are so lost in a miasma of tribalism and lies that this humiliation didn’t matter. George Packer, The Atlantic, 18 May 2022 The 21st century demands a flattened, deadpan voice, as Fuyuko tries to liberate herself, in fits and starts, from the miasma of her life. Washington Post, 5 May 2022 The disease that has caused them so much pain has been perpetually on the news and on people’s lips—a miasma of triggers that has kept their grief raw. Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2022 See More Word History Etymology New Latin, from Greek, defilement, from miainein to pollute First Known Use 1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Medical Definition miasma noun mi·as·ma mī-ˈaz-mə mē- plural miasmas also miasmata -mət-ə : a vaporous exhalation (as of a marshy region or of putrescent matter) formerly believed to cause disease (as malaria) miasmas noun variants also miasmata plural of miasma as in clouds a vapor of something unpleasant or unhealthy A miasma of smog settled over the city. a miasma of foul-smelling smoke Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance clouds fumes hazes reeks fogs steams smokes smothers smogs gauzes soups mists murks banks brumes
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miasma

noun

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History

Medical Definition

noun

noun