ethereal

[ ih-theer-ee-uh l ]
/ ɪˈθɪər i əl /

adjective

light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.
extremely delicate or refined: ethereal beauty.
heavenly or celestial: gone to his ethereal home.
of or relating to the upper regions of space.
Chemistry. pertaining to, containing, or resembling ethyl ether.
Also ae·the·re·al (for defs 1–4).

Origin of ethereal

1505–15; < Latin aethere(us) (< Greek aithérios), equivalent to aether- ether + -eus adj. suffix + -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM ethereal

Example sentences from the Web for ethereality

  • The music should be stately, sophisticated—bold enough to assert its power yet delicate enough to revel in its ethereality.

    The Absurdist Genius of Ernie Kovacs |Andy Battaglia |April 15, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
  • The bird symbol involved the conception of ethereality or spirituality.

    Archaic England |Harold Bayley
  • For all its ethereality and remoteness, it yearns, "like a God in pain," over the sorrows of the world.

    Visions and Revisions |John Cowper Powys

British Dictionary definitions for ethereality

ethereal
/ (ɪˈθɪərɪəl) /

adjective

extremely delicate or refined; exquisite
almost as light as air; impalpable; airy
celestial or spiritual
of, containing, or dissolved in an ether, esp diethyl ether an ethereal solution
of or relating to the ether

Derived forms of ethereal

ethereality or etherealness, noun ethereally, adverb

Word Origin for ethereal

C16: from Latin aethereus, from Greek aitherios, from aithēr ether

Medical definitions for ethereality

ethereal
[ ĭ-thîrē-əl ]

adj.

Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
Of, relating to, or containing ether.

Other words from ethereal

e•the′re•ali•ty (-ălĭ-tē) null n. e•there•al•ly adv.