Air Meaning
/ˈɛə̯/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases.
nounThe substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases., The substance of the atmosphere seen as an agency of freshness.
Sentence Examples
What you are saying is nothing but building a castle in the air.
He built castles in the air all day.
Let's go out for some fresh air.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the rain, the fresh ____ smelled sweet and clean.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We need some fresh ____ in this room, so please open the window.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor. Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air 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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:
"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."
— 1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], →OCLC:
"Even at the busiest periods, an air of quiet orderliness pervades the hall, and the first impression gained by the traveller is one of efficiency, neatness and cleanliness."
— 1951 October, H. A. Vallance, “Across Denmark by Lyntog”, in Railway Magazine, page 658:
"But the dull, cool, calculating effect given cumulatively through Stalin’s long career, the air of a great glacier moving slowly and by the easiest path to overwhelm some Alpine valley, is only part of the picture. At various times - and especially in his early career - the calm of his general manner was broken, and expression given to the driving emotions that possessed him."
— 1968, Robert Conquest, “The Purge Begins”, in The Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Thirties, Macmillan Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 77:
""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.""
— 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 4, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the rain, the fresh ____ smelled sweet and clean.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We need some fresh ____ in this room, so please open the window.