air

Etymology

From Middle English air, eir (“gas, atmosphere”), from Anglo-Norman aeir, eyer, Old French aire, eir, from Latin āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr, “wind, atmosphere”). Displaced native Middle English luft, lift (“air”) (from Old English lyft (“air, atmosphere”)), Middle English loft (“air, upper region”) (from Old Norse lopt (“air, sky, loft”)). More at lift, loft.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛə/, /ˈɛː/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (General American) enPR: âr, IPA^(key): /ˈɛəɹ/, /ˈɛɹ/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
• Homophones: Ayr, ere, heir, are (unit of measurement); err (one pronunciation)

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.

   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 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, Jane Austen, Emma, Volume I, Chapter 4:

     "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:

     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, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 18:

     "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. An air conditioner or the processed air it produces. Can be a mass noun or a count noun depending on context; similar to hair.

   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.
    • 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.

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. To broadcast, as with a television show.

Anagrams

• ARI, Ari, IAR, IRA, Ira, RIA, Rai, rai, raï, ria

Alternative forms

• ayr

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [eːɹ]

Noun

air m

1. air

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛːr/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

air m (plural airs, diminutive airtje n)

1. air (pretension)

Etymology

From Latin āēr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛʁ/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophones: aire, airent, aires, airs, ère, ères, erre, errent, erres, ers, haire, haires, hère, hères

Noun

air m (plural airs)

1. air (gases of the atmosphere)
2. tune, aria
3. appearance
4. air (pretension)

Further reading

• “air” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• ira
• rai

Romanization

air

1. Romanization of 𐌰𐌹𐍂

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ʔɪr/

Noun

air

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. water (mineral water)
3. water (one of the four elements in alchemy)
4. water (one of the five basic elements in some other theories)

Etymology 1

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

Etymology 2

Mutation

References

• "air" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “3 airid” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑiɾ/

Noun

air

1. woman

Further reading

• Bemal Organized Phonology Data

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *airo.

Noun

air

1. oar

Alternative forms

• ا^ءير‎

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): /ae(r)/
• (Riau-Lingga) IPA^(key): /aɪ(r)/
• Rhymes: -ae(r), -e(r)

Noun

air (Jawi spelling اءير‎)

1. water (liquid H₂O)
   • 2012, Faridah Abdul Rashid, Research on the Early Malay Doctors : 1900-1957 : Malaya and Singapore

     loji rawatan air

     water treatment plant

References

• Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

Etymology

From Latin āēr.

Noun

air m (plural airs)

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

Alternative forms

• aer
• aïr (diaereses are used by some scholars)
• ar
• eir

Etymology

From Latin āēr.

Noun

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

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐjir/

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.

Etymology

From Old Irish for (compare Irish ar), from Proto-Celtic *uɸor (compare Welsh ar), from Proto-Indo-European *upér (compare Latin super, Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér), Old English ofer).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛrʲ/

Preposition

air

1. on, upon

   air bàrr a' bhalla ― on top of the wall

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

5. for the sake of - air son  - see below, and more under son.

Pronoun

air m

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

References

• Faclair Gàidhlig Dwelly Air Loidhne, Dwelly, Edward (1911), Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic-English Dictionary (10th ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language (John Grant, Edinburgh, 1925, Complied by Malcolm MacLennan)

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *airo.

Noun

air

1. oar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ai̯r/

Noun

air

1. Soft mutation of gair.

Mutation