ether: [17] Greek aithér denoted the ‘upper atmosphere’, and by extension the ‘substance that permeated the cosmos’, from which the stars and planets were made. It was a derivative of the verb aíthein ‘ignite, blaze, shine’, a relative of Latin aestās ‘summer’, from which English gets aestivate [17]. It passed into English via Latin aethēr, and to begin with was used in its original Greek senses. Its application to the liquid with anaesthetic properties dates from the mid 18th century, the use of its first syllable in the names of organic compounds in the bicarbon series (such as ethyl and ethane) from the mid 19th century. => aestivate, ethyl
ether (n.)
late 14c., "upper regions of space," from Old French ether (12c.) and directly from Latin aether "the upper pure, bright air; sky, firmament," from Greek aither "upper air; bright, purer air; the sky" (opposed to aer "the lower air"), from aithein "to burn, shine," from PIE *aidh- "to burn" (see edifice).
In ancient cosmology, the element that filled all space beyond the sphere of the moon, constituting the substance of the stars and planets. Conceived of as a purer form of fire or air, or as a fifth element. From 17c.-19c., it was the scientific word for an assumed "frame of reference" for forces in the universe, perhaps without material properties. The concept was shaken by the Michelson-Morley experiment (1887) and discarded early 20c. after the Theory of Relativity won acceptance, but before it went it gave rise to the colloquial use of ether for "the radio" (1899).
The name also was bestowed c. 1730 (Frobenius; in English by 1757) on a volatile chemical compound known since 14c. for its lightness and lack of color (its anesthetic properties weren't fully established until 1842).
例文
1. Her words disappeared into the ether .
彼女の言葉は空に消えた。
2.He lost consciousness at the first whiff of ether .
エーテルを嗅ぐと知覚を失った。
3.They imagined the existence of a physical medium-the ether -filling all of space.
彼らは空間全体に満ちた物理媒体が存在することを想像している--イーサ.
4.Today 's news goes into the ether and is soon forgotten.
今日のニュース放送は聞いて間もなく頭の後ろに置いた。
5. General relativity has reintroduced a new and subtle " ether 'space - time itself.