ether

/ˈiθər/

/ˈiθə/

Other forms: ethers

Ether is a chemical that used to be a common anesthetic that you inhaled before undergoing surgery. In most countries, doctors have replaced it with less flammable, safer drugs.

The chemical ether is a colorless liquid that's still used as an anesthetic in some developing countries and as an industrial solvent. The Latin root is aether, which means "the upper pure, bright air." Ether was originally a scientific term for what 19th century physicists called "the fifth element," a substance that was said to fill all space and make up all bodies. In modern times, ether has come to be a literary term that refers to the sky.

Definitions of ether

1. noun

   any of a class of organic compounds that have two hydrocarbon groups linked by an oxygen atom
   type of:

   organic compound

   any compound of carbon and another element or a radical
2. noun

   a colorless volatile highly inflammable liquid formerly used as an inhalation anesthetic
   synonyms: diethyl ether, divinyl ether, ethoxyethane, ethyl ether, vinyl ether

   types:

   Ethrane, enflurane

   a nonflammable liquid (trade name Ethrane) used as an inhalation general anesthetic

   type of:

   inhalation anaesthetic, inhalation anesthetic, inhalation general anaesthetic, inhalation general anesthetic

   a gas that produces general anesthesia when inhaled
3. noun

   a medium that was once supposed to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves
   synonyms: aether

   type of:

   medium

   an intervening substance through which signals can travel as a means for communication
4. noun

   the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies
   synonyms: quintessence

   type of:

   element

   one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe