vapour

Wikipedia

English

Alternative forms

• vapor (US)

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin vapor (“steam, heat”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈveɪpə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

vapour (uncountable)

1. The gas phase component of a liquid or solid.
2. The gaseous state of a substance that is normally a solid or liquid.

Derived terms

• vapour pressure
• vapour trail
• water vapour

Translations

the gas phase component of a liquid or solid

Chinese: 蒸气 Dutch: damp (nl) m. Estonian: aur (et) Finnish: höyry (fi) French: vapeur (fr) f. German: Dampf (de) m. Interlingua: vapor

Italian: vapore (it) m. Japanese: 蒸気 (ja) (じょうき, jōki), 湯気 (ja) (ゆげ, yuge) Oriya: ବାଷ୍ପ (or) Polish: para (pl) f. Portuguese: vapor (pt) m. Russian: пар (ru) Spanish: vapor (es) m.

the gaseous state of a substance that is normally a solid or liquid

Japanese: 気体 (ja) (きたい, kitai)

See also

• dew point

Verb

vapour (third-person singular simple present vapours, present participle vapouring, simple past and past participle vapoured)

1. (intransitive) To become vapour; to be emitted or circulated as vapour.
2. (transitive) To turn into vapour.
3. (intransitive) To use insubstantial language; to boast or bluster.
   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, ‘The Bisara of Pooree’, Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society 2005, p. 172:

     He vapoured, and fretted, and fumed, and trotted up and down, and tried to make himself pleasing in Miss Hollis's big, quiet, grey eyes, and failed.

   • 1904, “Saki”, ‘Reginald's Christmas Revel’, Reginald:

     then the Major gave us a graphic account of a struggle he had with a wounded bear. I privately wished that the bears would win sometimes on these occasions; at least they wouldn't go vapouring about it afterwards.

   • 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia, Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), p. 513:

     He felt he would start vapouring with devotion if this went on, so he bruptly took his leave with a cold expression on his face which dismayed her for she thought that it was due to distain for her artistic opinions.

Translations

intransitive: to become vapour; to be emitted or circulated as vapour

Japanese: 蒸発する (ja) (じょうはつする, jōhatsu suru), 揮発する (ja) (きはつする, kihatsu suru), 気化する (ja) (きかする, kika suru)

transitive: to turn into vapour

Japanese: 蒸発させる (ja) (じょうはつさせる, jōhatsu saseru), 揮発させる (ja) (きはつさせる, kihatsu saseru), 気化させる (ja) (きかさせる, kika saseru)

intransitive: to use insubstantial language; to boast or bluster

Japanese: 管を巻く (ja) (くだをまく, kuda o maku), 粋がる (ja) (いきがる, ikigaru), 威張り散らす (ja) (いばりちらす, ibarichirasu)