ivytheplant July 28, 2007 12:59 AM | e·ther  /ˈi θər/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ee-ther] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun | 1. | Also called diethyl ether, diethyl oxide, ethyl ether, ethyl oxide, sulfuric ether. Chemistry, Pharmacology. a colorless, highly volatile, flammable liquid, C4H10O, having an aromatic odor and sweet, burning taste, derived from ethyl alcohol by the action of sulfuric acid: used as a solvent and, formerly, as an inhalant anesthetic. | | 2. | Chemistry. (formerly) one of a class of compounds in which two organic groups are attached directly to an oxygen atom, having the general formula ROR. | | 3. | the upper regions of space; the clear sky; the heavens. | | 4. | the medium supposed by the ancients to fill the upper regions of space. | | 5. | Physics. a hypothetical substance supposed to occupy all space, postulated to account for the propagation of electromagnetic radiation through space. |
|