ether

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e·ther / ˈē[unvoicedth]ər/ • n. 1. Chem. a pleasant-smelling, highly flammable, colorless, volatile liquid, C2H5OC2H5, used as an anesthetic and as a solvent or intermediate in industrial processes. ∎  any organic compound with a similar structure to this, having an oxygen atom linking two alkyl or other organic groups. 2. chiefly poetic/lit. the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds. 3. Physics, archaic a very rarefied and highly elastic substance formerly believed to permeate all space and to be the medium whose vibrations constituted light and other electromagnetic radiation.DERIVATIVES: e·ther·ic / iˈ[unvoicedth]erik; iˈ[unvoicedth]i(ə)rik/ adj.

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