ether

  1. Proper noun.  (Mormonism) The ancient American prophet of Mormon theology who wrote the Book of Ether in the Book of Mormon.
  2. Noun.  (organic compound, countable) A compound containing an oxygen atom bonded to two hydrocarbon groups.
  3. Noun.  (organic compound, uncountable) Diethyl ether (C4H10O), a compound used as an early anaesthetic.
  4. Noun.  (context, ancient philosophy) A classical physical element, considered as prevalent in the heavens and inaccessible to humans. In some versions of alchemy, this was the fifth element in addition to air, earth, fire and water.
  5. Noun.  (archaic, physics) A substance (''aether'') once thought to fill all space that allowed electromagnetic waves to pass through it and interact with matter, without exerting any resistance to matter or energy (disproved by Einstein in his Theory of Relativity).
  6. Noun.  (poetic, _) The sky or heavens; the upper air.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.