air

[air]

When you breathe in, you're inhaling all that invisible stuff around us called air a mixture of gases that includes oxygen.

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The fluid which we breathe, and which surrounds the earth; the atmosphere. It is invisible, inodorous, insipid, transparent, compressible, elastic, and ponderable.

Noun
travel via aircraft; "air travel involves too much waiting in airports"; "if you''ve time to spare go by air"

Noun
a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; "an air of mystery"; "the house had a neglected air"; "an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate''s headquarters"; "the place had an aura of romance"

Noun
medium for radio and television broadcasting; "the program was on the air from 9 til midnight"; "the president used the airwaves to take his message to the people"

Noun
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; "she was humming an air from Beethoven"

Noun
the mass of air surrounding the Earth; "there was great heat as the comet entered the atmosphere"; "it was exposed to the air"

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Noun
the region above the ground; "her hand stopped in mid air"; "he threw the ball into the air"

Noun
a slight wind (usually refreshing); "the breeze was cooled by the lake"; "as he waited he could feel the air on his neck"

Noun
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of; "air pollution"; "a smell of chemicals in the air"; "open a window and let in some air"; "I need some fresh air"

Noun
once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)

Verb
expose to cool or cold air so as to cool or freshen; "air the old winter clothes"; "air out the smoke-filled rooms"

Verb
expose to warm or heated air, so as to dry; "Air linen"

Verb
make public; "She aired her opinions on welfare"

Verb
broadcast over the airwaves, as in radio or television; "We cannot air this X-rated song"

Verb
be broadcast; "This show will air Saturdays at 2 P.M."

Verb
expose to fresh air; "aerate your old sneakers"


n.
The fluid which we breathe, and which surrounds the earth; the atmosphere. It is invisible, inodorous, insipid, transparent, compressible, elastic, and ponderable.

n.
Symbolically: Something unsubstantial, light, or volatile.

n.
A particular state of the atmosphere, as respects heat, cold, moisture, etc., or as affecting the sensations; as, a smoky air, a damp air, the morning air, etc.

n.
Any aeriform body; a gas; as, oxygen was formerly called vital air.

n.
Air in motion; a light breeze; a gentle wind.

n.
Odoriferous or contaminated air.

n.
That which surrounds and influences.

n.
Utterance abroad; publicity; vent.

n.
Intelligence; information.

n.
A musical idea, or motive, rhythmically developed in consecutive single tones, so as to form a symmetrical and balanced whole, which may be sung by a single voice to the stanzas of a hymn or song, or even to plain prose, or played upon an instrument; a melody; a tune; an aria.

n.
In harmonized chorals, psalmody, part songs, etc., the part which bears the tune or melody -- in modern harmony usually the upper part -- is sometimes called the air.

n.
The peculiar look, appearance, and bearing of a person; mien; demeanor; as, the air of a youth; a heavy air; a lofty air.

n.
Peculiar appearance; apparent character; semblance; manner; style.

n.
An artificial or affected manner; show of pride or vanity; haughtiness; as, it is said of a person, he puts on airs.

n.
The representation or reproduction of the effect of the atmospheric medium through which every object in nature is viewed.

n.
Carriage; attitude; action; movement; as, the head of that portrait has a good air.

n.
The artificial motion or carriage of a horse.

n.
To expose to the air for the purpose of cooling, refreshing, or purifying; to ventilate; as, to air a room.

n.
To expose for the sake of public notice; to display ostentatiously; as, to air one's opinion.

n.
To expose to heat, for the purpose of expelling dampness, or of warming; as, to air linen; to air liquors.


Air

Air , n. [OE. air, eir, F. air, L. a'89r, fr. Gr. , air, mist, for , fr. root to blow, breathe, probably akin to E. wind. In sense 10 the French has taking a meaning fr. It. aria atmosphere, air, fr. the same Latin word; and in senses 11, 12, 13 the French meaning is either fr. L. aria, or due to confusion with F. aire, in an older sense of origin, descent. Cf. Ary, Debonair, Malaria, Wind.] 1. The fluid which we breathe, and which surrounds the earth; the atmosphere. It is invisible, inodorous, insipid, transparent, compressible, elastic, and ponderable. &hand; By the ancient philosophers, air was regarded as an element; but modern science has shown that it is essentially a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, with a small amount of carbon dioxide, the average proportions being, by volume: oxygen, 20.96 per cent.; nitrogen, 79.00 per cent.; carbon dioxide, 0.04 per cent. These proportions are subject to a very slight variability. Air also always contains some vapor of water. 2. Symbolically: Something unsubstantial, light, or volatile. "Charm ache with air." Shak.
He was still all air and fire.
. [Air and fire being the finer and quicker elements as opposed to earth and water.] 3. A particular state of the atmosphere, as respects heat, cold, moisture, etc., or as affecting the sensations; as, a smoky air, a damp air, the morning air, etc. 4. Any a'89riform body; a gas; as, oxygen was formerly called vital air. [Obs.] 5. Air in motion; a light breeze; a gentle wind.
Let vernal airs through trembling osiers play.
6. Odoriferous or contaminated air. 7. That which surrounds and influences.
The keen, the wholesome air of poverty.
8. Utterance abroad; publicity; vent.
You gave it air before me.
9. Intelligence; information. [Obs.] Bacon. 10. (Mus.) (a) A musical idea, or motive, rhythmically developed in consecutive single tones, so as to form a symmetrical and balanced whole, which may be sung by a single voice to the stanzas of a hymn or song, or even to plain prose, or played upon an instrument; a melody; a tune; an aria. (b) In harmonized chorals, psalmody, part songs, etc., the part which bears the tune or melody -- in modern harmony usually the upper part -- is sometimes called the air. 11. The peculiar look, appearance, and bearing of a person; mien; demeanor; as, the air of a youth; a heavy air; a lofty air. "His very air." Shak. 12. Peculiar appearance; apparent character; semblance; manner; style.
It was communicated with the air of a secret.
12. pl. An artificial or affected manner; show of pride or vanity; haughtiness; as, it is said of a person, he puts on airs. Thackeray. 14. (Paint.) (a) The representation or reproduction of the effect of the atmospheric medium through which every object in nature is viewed. New Am. Cyc. (b) Carriage; attitude; action; movement; as, the head of that portrait has a good air. Fairholt. 15. (Man.) The artificial motion or carriage of a horse. &hand; Air is much used adjectively or as the first part of a compound term. In most cases it might be written indifferently, as a separate limiting word, or as the first element of the compound term, with or without the hyphen; as, air bladder, air-bladder, or airbladder; air cell, air-cell, or aircell; air-pump, or airpump. Air balloon. See Balloon. -- Air bath. (a) An apparatus for the application of air to the body. (b) An arrangement for drying substances in air of any desired temperature. -- Air castle. See Castle in the air, under Castle. -- Air compressor, a machine for compressing air to be used as a motive power. -- Air crossing, a passage for air in a mine. -- Air cushion, an air-tight cushion which can be inflated; also, a device for arresting motion without shock by confined air. -- Air fountain, a contrivance for producing a jet of water by the force of compressed air. -- Air furnace, a furnace which depends on a natural draft and not on blast. -- Air line, a straight line; a bee line. Hence Air-line, adj.; as, air-line road. -- Air lock (Hydr. Engin.), an intermediate chamber between the outer air and the compressed-air chamber of a pneumatic caisson. Knight. -- Air port (Nav.), a scuttle or porthole in a ship to admit air. -- Air spring, a spring in which the elasticity of air is utilized. -- Air thermometer, a form of thermometer in which the contraction and expansion of air is made to measure changes of temperature. -- Air threads, gossamer. -- Air trap, a contrivance for shutting off foul air or gas from drains, sewers, etc.; a stench trap. -- Air trunk, a pipe or shaft for conducting foul or heated air from a room. -- Air valve, a valve to regulate the admission or egress of air; esp. a valve which opens inwardly in a steam boiler and allows air to enter. -- Air way, a passage for a current of air; as the air way of an air pump; an air way in a mine. -- In the air. (a) Prevalent without traceable origin or authority, as rumors. (b) Not in a fixed or stable position; unsettled. (c) (Mil.) Unsupported and liable to be turned or taken in flank; as, the army had its wing in the air. -- To take air, to be divulged; to be made public. -- To take the air, to go abroad; to walk or ride out.

Air

Air , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Aired ; p. pr. & vb. n. Airing.] [See Air, n., and cf. Arate.] 1. To expose to the air for the purpose of cooling, refreshing, or purifying; to ventilate; as, to air a room.
It were good wisdom . . . that the jail were aired.
Were you but riding forth to air yourself.
2. To expose for the sake of public notice; to display ostentatiously; as, to air one's opinion.
Airing a snowy hand and signet gem.
3. To expose to heat, for the purpose of expelling dampness, or of warming; as, to air linen; to air liquors.

The fluid which we breathe, and which surrounds the earth; the atmosphere. It is invisible, inodorous, insipid, transparent, compressible, elastic, and ponderable.

To expose to the air for the purpose of cooling, refreshing, or purifying; to ventilate; as, to air a room.

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Usage Examples

A rose is the visible result of an infinitude of complicated goings on in the bosom of the earth and in the air above, and similarly a work of art is the product of strange activities in the human mind.

A small house must depend on its grouping with other houses for its beauty, and for the preservation of light air and the maximum of surrounding open space.

Being tall is an advantage, especially in business. People will always remember you. And if you're in a crowd, you'll always have some clean air to breathe.

Discount air fares, a car in every parking space and the interstate highway system have made every place accessible - and every place alike.

During the past few decades, modern technology, with radio, TV, air travel, and satellites, has woven a network of communication which puts each part of the world in to almost instant contact with all the other parts.

And not only that, I also have the MacBook Air which is really cool. Even my wife is jealous of my MacBook Air.

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.

Dad went to Canada to learn how to fly with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He took me on my first airplane ride, where I could have a hand on the stick.

Because forgiveness is like this: a room can be dank because you have closed the windows, you've closed the curtains. But the sun is shining outside, and the air is fresh outside. In order to get that fresh air, you have to get up and open the window and draw the curtains apart.

Misspelled Form

air, qair, wair, sair, zair, qir, wir, sir, zir, aqir, awir, asir, azir, auir, a8ir, a9ir, aoir, ajir, akir, aur, a8r, a9r, aor, ajr, akr, aiur, ai8r, ai9r, aior, aijr, aikr, aier, ai4r, ai5r, aitr, aifr, aie, ai4, ai5, ait, aif, aire, air4, air5, airt, airf.

Other Usage Examples

But it wasn't until I graduated from Texas A & M University and joined the United States Air Force, flying C-130's all around the globe, that I truly appreciated the blessings of freedom.

Arguments are healthy. They clear the air.

Dr. Einstein was not successful in school, but he found something in the air from his own imagination and his own brain power, and look what he did.

During a trip to Iraq last fall, I visited our theater hospital at Balad Air Force Base and witnessed these skilled medical professionals in action and met the brave soldiers whose lives they saved.

C-17s should be ready to go at various military bases around the world packed with water, food, medical supplies, sleeping bags and tents, all prepared to be air dropped in alongside soldiers and doctors to begin relief efforts.

Bill Clinton sitting on Air Force One getting his hair cut while people around the country cooled their heels and waited for him, became a metaphor for a populist president who had gotten drunk with the perks of his own power and was sort of, you know, not sensitive to what people wanted.

A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.

Air travel is the safest form of travel aside from walking even then, the chances of being hit by a public bus at 30,000 feet are remarkably slim. I also have no problem with confined spaces. Or heights. What I am afraid of is speed.

Air travel survived decades of terrorism, including attacks which resulted in the deaths of everyone on the plane. It survived 9/11. It'll survive the next successful attack. The only real worry is that we'll scare ourselves into making air travel so onerous that we won't fly anymore.

A world with a sudden limit on air travel would be tremendously different from the one we live in now.

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