air

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See also: áir, -air, 'air, air., and àir.

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
The composition of air.

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English aire, from Old French air, from Latin āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr). Displaced native Old English lyft. More at lift, loft.

Pronunciation

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    • Audio (UK):(file)
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  • Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
  • Homophones: Ayr, ere, eyre, heir, are (unit of measurement); err (one pronunciation); e'er (US)

Noun

air (countable and uncountable, plural airs)

  1. (uncountable, meteorology) The substance constituting Earth's atmosphere, particularly:
    I'm going outside to get some air.
    The air on Mars is so thin that high and low temperatures on the day differ a lot.
    1. (historical, philosophy, alchemy) understood as one of the four elements of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
    2. (historical, medicine) understood as a particular local substance with supposed effects on human health.
      • 1991 May 12, "Kidnapped!" Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:
        Jeeves: Foreign travel often liberates emotions best kept in check, sir. The air of North America is notoriously stimulating in this regard, as witness the regrettable behavior of its inhabitants in 1776.
        B. Wooster: Hm? What happened in 1776, Jeeves?
        Jeeves: I prefer not to dwell on it, if it's convenient to you, sir.
      There was a tension in the air which made me suspect an approaching storm.
    3. (physics) understood as a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases.
  2. (usually with the) The apparently open space above the ground which this substance fills, (historical) formerly thought to be limited by the firmament but (meteorology) now considered to be surrounded by the near vacuum of outer space.
    The flock of birds took to the air.
  3. A breeze; a gentle wind.
  4. A feeling or sense.
    to give it an air of artistry and sophistication
    • November 2 2014, Daniel Taylor, "Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk
      Smalling’s quick one-two of yellow cards towards the end of the first half had left an air of inevitability about what would follow and, if anything, it was probably a surprise that City restricted themselves to Sergio Agüero’s goal bearing in mind another of United’s defenders, Marcos Rojo, was taken off on a stretcher early in the second half with a dislocated shoulder.
    • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,
      The girl stooped to pluck a rose, and as she bent over it, her profile was clearly outlined. She held the flower to her face with a long-drawn inhalation, then went up the steps, crossed the piazza, opened the door without knocking, and entered the house with the air of one thoroughly at home.
  5. A sense of poise, graciousness, or quality.
    • 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 4, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC:
      "He is very plain, undoubtedly—remarkably plain:—but that is nothing compared with his entire want of gentility. I had no right to expect much, and I did not expect much; but I had no idea that he could be so very clownish, so totally without air. I had imagined him, I confess, a degree or two nearer gentility."
  6. (usually in the plural) Pretension; snobbishness; pretence that one is better than others.
    putting on airs
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest‎[1]:
      He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.
  7. (music) A song, especially a solo; an aria.
    • 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
      "If I," said Mr. Collins, "were so fortunate as to be able to sing, I should have great pleasure, I am sure, in obliging the company with an air; for I consider music as a very innocent diversion, and perfectly compatible with the profession of a clergyman […] "
  8. (informal) Nothing; absence of anything.
  9. (countable, uncountable) An air conditioner or the processed air it produces.
    Could you turn on the air?
    Hey, did you mean to leave the airs on all week while you were on vacation?
  10. (obsolete, chemistry) Any specific gas.
  11. (snowboarding, skateboarding, motor sports) A jump in which one becomes airborne.
  12. A television or radio signal; (by extension) media broadcasts in general.
    • 1996, Thomas Streeter, Selling the Air, →ISBN:
      Ernst gave a list of political activists who had been denied access to the air by private broadcasters, and pointed out that "Secretary Hoover's signature in New York sells for $150,000 to $200,000," thus limiting access to the air on the part of labor unions and other underrepresented groups.
    • 2001, Dana Stabenow, The Singing of the Dead, →ISBN, page 17:
      Coming to you live once a month, or whenever I feel like broadcasting a little pirate air.
    • 2015, Gary Andres, ‎Paul Hernnson, Lobbying Reconsidered: Politics Under the Influence (page 149)
      “These members need air cover in the media.” Paid media is the admission ticket to enter the big-time Washington stage.
  13. (uncountable) Publicity.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Airoran terms starting with “air”

Descendants

  • → Jersey Dutch: êr

Translations

See air/translations § Noun.

Verb

air (third-person singular simple present airs, present participle airing, simple past and past participle aired)

  1. To bring (something) into contact with the air, so as to freshen or dry it.
  2. To let fresh air into a room or a building, to ventilate.
    It's getting quite stuffy in this room: let's open the windows and air it.
  3. To discuss varying viewpoints on a given topic.
    • 1917, National Geographic, v.31, March 1917:
      Thus, in spite of all opposition, the rural and urban assemblies retained the germ of local government, and in spite of the dual control, as the result of which much of their influence was nullified, they did have a certain value in airing abuses and suggesting improvements.
  4. (transitive) To broadcast (a television show etc.).
  5. (intransitive) To be broadcast.
    This game show first aired in the 1990s and is still going today.
  6. (British, MLE, slang) To ignore (a person).
    Why is this girl airing me?

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Cornish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Cornish aer, aƿui(r), borrowed from Latin aer.

Pronunciation

Noun

air m

  1. air

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French air, from Middle French air, from Old French air, from Latin āēr.

Pronunciation

Noun

air m (plural airs, diminutive airtje n)

  1. air, pretension or pretentious attitude
  2. tune, melody

Descendants

French

Etymology

From Old French air, aire, from Latin āēr.

Pronunciation

Noun

air m (plural airs)

  1. air (gases of the atmosphere)
    trou d’air ― air pocket
    résistance de l’air ― air resistance
  2. tune, aria
  3. appearance
    avoir l’air ― to appear, to look, to seem
    air de famille ― family resemblance
  4. air (pretension)
    prendre des airs ― to put on airs
    se donner des airs ― give oneself airs

Derived terms

Further reading

Anagrams

Gothic

Romanization

air

  1. Romanization of 𐌰𐌹𐍂

Indonesian

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id
air

Etymology

From Malay air, from Classical Malay اير (air), from Proto-Malayic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *wair, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Pronunciation

Noun

air (first-person possessive airku, second-person possessive airmu, third-person possessive airnya)

  1. water
    1. clear liquid H₂O
    2. mineral water
    3. one of the four elements in alchemy
    4. one of the five basic elements in some other theories
  2. (colloquial) a cockfight round which started by spraying water to the cock.

Derived terms

Further reading

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish airid (“ploughs, tills”).

Pronunciation

Verb

air (present analytic aireann, future analytic airfidh, verbal noun ar, past participle airthe)

  1. (literary, transitive, intransitive) plough
Conjugation
conjugation of air (first conjugation – A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present airim aireann tú;
airir† 		aireann sé, sí airimid aireann sibh aireann siad;
airid† 		a aireann; a aireas /
a n-aireann*; a n-aireas* 		airtear
past d'air mé; d'aireas /
air mé‡; aireas‡ 		d'air tú; d'airis /
air tú; airis‡ 		d'air sé, sí /
air sé, sí‡ 		d'aireamar; d'air muid /
aireamar; air muid‡ 		d'air sibh; d'aireabhair /
air sibh;
aireabhair‡ 		d'air siad; d'aireadar /
air siad; aireadar‡ 		a d'air /
ar air* 		aireadh;
haireadh†
past habitual d'airinn /
airinn‡; n-airinn‡‡ 		d'airteá /
airteá‡; n-airteᇇ 		d'aireadh sé, sí /
aireadh sé, sí‡; n-aireadh sé, s퇇 		d'airimis; d'aireadh muid /
airimis; aireadh muid‡; n-airimis‡‡; n-aireadh muid‡‡ 		d'aireadh sibh /
aireadh sibh‡; n-aireadh sibh‡‡ 		d'airidís; d'aireadh siad /
airidís; aireadh siad‡; n-airidís‡‡; n-aireadh siad‡‡ 		a d'aireadh /
a n-aireadh* 		d'airtí /
airtí‡; n-airt퇇
future airfidh mé;
airfead 		airfidh tú;
airfir† 		airfidh sé, sí airfimid;
airfidh muid 		airfidh sibh airfidh siad;
airfid† 		a airfidh; a airfeas /
a n-airfidh*; a n-airfeas* 		airfear
conditional d'airfinn / airfinn‡; n-airfinn‡‡ d'airfeá / airfeá‡; n-airfeᇇ d'airfeadh sé, sí / airfeadh sé, sí‡; n-airfeadh sé, s퇇 d'airfimis; d'airfeadh muid / airfimis‡; airfeadh muid‡; n-airfimis‡‡; n-airfeadh muid‡‡ d'airfeadh sibh / airfeadh sibh‡; n-airfeadh sibh‡‡ d'airfidís; d'airfeadh siad / airfidís‡; airfeadh siad‡; n-airfidís‡‡; n-airfeadh siad‡‡ a d'airfeadh /
a n-airfeadh* 		d'airfí / airfí‡; n-airf퇇
subjunctive present go n-aire mé;
go n-airead† 		go n-aire tú;
go n-airir† 		go n-aire sé, sí go n-airimid;
go n-aire muid 		go n-aire sibh go n-aire siad;
go n-airid† 		— go n-airtear
past dá n-airinn dá n-airteá dá n-aireadh sé, sí dá n-airimis;
dá n-aireadh muid 		dá n-aireadh sibh dá n-airidís;
dá n-aireadh siad 		— dá n-airtí
imperative airim air aireadh sé, sí airimis airigí;
airidh† 		airidís — airtear
verbal noun ar
past participle airthe

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡ dependent form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis (except an)

Noun

air m

  1. genitive singular of ar

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (stressed) /ɛɾʲ/, (unstressed) /əɾʲ/

Pronoun

air (emphatic airsean)

  1. third-person singular masculine of ar (on him, on it m)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
air n-air hair not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Kedah Malay

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *wair, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Pronunciation

Noun

air

  1. water.
    Air manis
    Sweet water

Kein

Pronunciation

Noun

air

  1. woman

Further reading

Ludian

Etymology

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Noun

air

  1. oar

Malay

Malay Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ms
FWOTD – 26 October 2013

Etymology

First attested in the Talang Tuo inscription, 684AD. From Proto-Malayic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *wair, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /air/
  • Rhymes: -air, -ir
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "Johor-Riau" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): [aʲɪː, -ʲeː, ʲe̞ː]

Noun

air (Jawi spelling اٴير, informal 1st possessive airku, 2nd possessive airmu, 3rd possessive airnya)

  1. water (liquid H2O)
    • 2012, Faridah Abdul Rashid, Research on the Early Malay Doctors : 1900-1957 : Malaya and Singapore [2]
      loji rawatan air
      water treatment plant

Alternative forms

  • aek (Pontianak)
  • aer (Medan)
  • ayer (obsolete, surviving in place names)

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Baba Malay: aye
  • Indonesian: air

References

  • Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

Norman

Etymology

From Latin āēr.

Noun

air m (plural airs)

  1. air (mixture of gases that make up the earth's atmosphere)

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin āēr.

Noun

air oblique singular, m (oblique plural airs, nominative singular airs, nominative plural air)

  1. air (mixture of gases that make up the earth's atmosphere)

Descendants

Old Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From the same root as ar (“for”, preposition).

Pronunciation

Conjunction

air

  1. for (because, since)

For quotations using this term, see Citations:air.

Pohnpeian

Pronunciation

Verb

air

  1. (transitive) to strip off, as when stripping insulation off a wire
  2. (transitive) to wipe off a ropelike object by drawing it through one's hand or fingers
    Air mahs keleuen.
    Please wipe the sap off the hibiscus bast.

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle English air, from Old French air, from Latin āēr.

Noun

air (uncountable)

  1. air, atmosphere

Derived terms

References

Etymology 2

From Icelandic ar (“mote, speck of dust”).

Alternative forms

Noun

air (plural airs)

  1. (Northern Isles, Caithness, Banff) A small quantity, particle, morsel; pinch (of snuff); whiff; taste

References

Etymology 3

Perhaps from air. See above.

Verb

air (third-person singular simple present airs, present participle airin, simple past aired, past participle aired)

  1. (Orkney) to taste

References

Etymology 4

From Middle English ore, from Old English ār, from Proto-West Germanic *airu.

Alternative forms

Noun

air (plural airs)

  1. (Orkney, Caithness, Northern Scots) oar

References

Etymology 5

Derived from Old Norse eyrr.

Alternative forms

Noun

air (plural airs)

  1. (Northern Isles) gravelly beach

References

Etymology 6

From Middle English eire, from Old French eire, from Latin iter (“journey”).

Noun

air (plural airs)

  1. (obsolete) eyre

References

Etymology 7

From Middle English er, from Old English ǣr, from Proto-West Germanic *airi.

Alternative forms

Adverb

air (not comparable)

  1. early

Adjective

air (not comparable)

  1. early

References

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Irish for. Cognates include Irish ar and Manx er.

Preposition

air (+ dative)

  1. on, upon
    air bàrr a' bhalla ― on top of the wall
    Tha mi air an rathan ― I'm on my way.
  2. of, concerning
    iomradh air do ghliocas ― a report of thy wisdom
  3. for, on account of
    air an aobhar sin ― for that reason
  4. by
    air ainm ― by name
Inflection
Personal inflection of air
Number Person Simple Emphatic
Singular 1st orm ormsa
2nd ort ortsa
3rd m air airsan
3rd f oirre oirrese
Plural 1st oirnn oirnne
2nd oirbh oirbhse
3rd orra orrasan
Usage notes
  • The word air and its derivates are used in many idioms:
    Dè an t-ainm a tha ort? ― What's your name? (What the name that is on you?)
    Tha an t-acras orm. ― I'm hungry. (The hunger is on me.)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Irish for. Cognates include Irish air and Manx er.

Pronoun

air

  1. third-person singular masculine of air: on him, on it
Inflection
Personal inflection of air
Number Person Simple Emphatic
Singular 1st orm ormsa
2nd ort ortsa
3rd m air airsan
3rd f oirre oirrese
Plural 1st oirnn oirnne
2nd oirbh oirbhse
3rd orra orrasan

References

  • Edward Dwelly (1911) “air”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎[3], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language (John Grant, Edinburgh, 1925, Complied by Malcolm MacLennan)

Veps

Etymology

From Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 2 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "fiu-fin-pro" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E..

Noun

air

  1. oar

Welsh

Pronunciation

Noun

air

  1. Soft mutation of gair.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
gair air ngair unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
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