air

See also: áir, -air, 'air, air., and àir.

EnglishEdit

 
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The composition of the air.

Alternative formsEdit

  • aire, ayre, eyr (obsolete)
  • ayr (especially when referring to the form of music)

EtymologyEdit

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.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

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 to be 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[1]:
      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. (countable, uncountable) An air conditioner or the processed air it produces.
    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.
  13. (uncountable) Publicity.

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Pages starting with “air”.

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

See air/translations § Noun.

VerbEdit

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. (transitive) To broadcast (a television show etc.).
  5. (intransitive) To be broadcast.
    This game show first aired in the 1990s and is still going today.
  6. (Britain, MLE, slang) To ignore.

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

AnagramsEdit

CornishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air m

  1. air

DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from French air, from Middle French air, from Old French air, from Latin āēr.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air m (plural airs, diminutive airtje n)

  1. air, pretension or pretentious attitude
  2. tune, melody

DescendantsEdit

  • Afrikaans: air

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin āēr.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air m (plural airs)

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

Derived termsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

GothicEdit

RomanizationEdit

air

  1. Romanization of 𐌰𐌹𐍂

IndonesianEdit

 
Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
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air

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air (first-person possessive airku, second-person possessive airmu, third-person possessive airnya)

  1. water
    1. clear liquid H₂O
    2. mineral water
    3. one of the four elements in alchemy
    4. one of the five basic elements in some other theories
  2. (colloquial) a cockfight round which started by spraying water to the cock.

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

Further readingEdit

IrishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

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

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

air (present analytic aireann, future analytic airfidh, verbal noun ar, past participle airthe)

  1. (literary, transitive, intransitive) plough
ConjugationEdit
First Conjugation (A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present airim aireann tú;
airir†		 aireann sé, sí airimid aireann sibh aireann siad;
airid†		 a aireann; a aireas /
a n-aireann*; a n-aireas* 		airtear
past d'air mé; d'aireas /
air mé‡; aireas‡ 		d'air tú; d'airis /
air tú; airis‡ 		d'air sé, sí /
air sé, sí‡ 		d'aireamar; d'air muid /
aireamar; air muid‡ 		d'air sibh; d'aireabhair /
air sibh;
aireabhair‡ 		d'air siad; d'aireadar /
air siad; aireadar‡ 		a d'air /
ar air* 		aireadh;
haireadh†
past habitual d'airinn /
airinn‡; n-airinn‡‡ 		d'airteá /
airteá‡; n-airteᇇ 		d'aireadh sé, sí /
aireadh sé, sí‡; n-aireadh sé, s퇇 		d'airimis; d'aireadh muid /
airimis; aireadh muid‡; n-airimis‡‡; n-aireadh muid‡‡ 		d'aireadh sibh /
aireadh sibh‡; n-aireadh sibh‡‡ 		d'airidís; d'aireadh siad /
airidís; aireadh siad‡; n-airidís‡‡; n-aireadh siad‡‡ 		a d'aireadh /
a n-aireadh* 		d'airtí /
airtí‡; n-airt퇇
future airfidh mé;
airfead 		airfidh tú;
airfir†		 airfidh sé, sí airfimid;
airfidh muid 		airfidh sibh airfidh siad;
airfid†		 a airfidh; a airfeas /
a n-airfidh*; a n-airfeas* 		airfear
conditional d'airfinn / airfinn‡; n-airfinn‡‡ d'airfeá / airfeá‡; n-airfeᇇ d'airfeadh sé, sí / airfeadh sé, sí‡; n-airfeadh sé, s퇇 d'airfimis; d'airfeadh muid / airfimis‡; airfeadh muid‡; n-airfimis‡‡; n-airfeadh muid‡‡ d'airfeadh sibh / airfeadh sibh‡; n-airfeadh sibh‡‡ d'airfidís; d'airfeadh siad / airfidís‡; airfeadh siad‡; n-airfidís‡‡; n-airfeadh siad‡‡ a d'airfeadh /
a n-airfeadh* 		d'airfí / airfí‡; n-airf퇇
subjunctive present go n-aire mé;
go n-airead†		 go n-aire tú;
go n-airir†		 go n-aire sé, sí go n-airimid;
go n-aire muid 		go n-aire sibh go n-aire siad;
go n-airid†		 — go n-airtear
past dá n-airinn dá n-airteá dá n-aireadh sé, sí dá n-airimis;
dá n-aireadh muid 		dá n-aireadh sibh dá n-airidís;
dá n-aireadh siad 		— dá n-airtí
imperative airim air aireadh sé, sí airimis airigí;
airidh†		 airidís — airtear
verbal noun ar
past participle airthe

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡ Dependent form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis (except an)

NounEdit

air m

  1. genitive singular of ar

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): (stressed) /ɛɾʲ/, (unstressed) /əɾʲ/

PronounEdit

air (emphatic airsean)

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

MutationEdit

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
air n-air hair not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

ReferencesEdit

Kedah MalayEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air

  1. water.
    Air manis
    Sweet water

KeinEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air

  1. woman

Further readingEdit

LudianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Finnic *airo.

NounEdit

air

  1. oar

MalayEdit

 
Malay Wikipedia has an article on:
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FWOTD – 26 October 2013

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

First attested in the Talang Tuo inscription, 684AD. From Proto-Malayic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *wair, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air (Jawi spelling اءير‎, informal 1st possessive airku, impolite 2nd possessive airmu, 3rd possessive airnya)

  1. water (liquid H2O)
    • 2012, Faridah Abdul Rashid, Research on the Early Malay Doctors : 1900-1957 : Malaya and Singapore [2]
      loji rawatan air
      water treatment plant

Derived termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • Indonesian: air

ReferencesEdit

  • Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

NormanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin āēr.

NounEdit

air m (plural airs)

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

Related termsEdit

Old FrenchEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin āēr.

NounEdit

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

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

DescendantsEdit

Old IrishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From the same root as ar (“for”, preposition).

PronunciationEdit

ConjunctionEdit

air

  1. for (because, since)
    • c. 845, St. Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 159a2
      Air in tan no·labrither in cétni persin ꝉ in tánaisi do·adbit ainm hi suidiu.
      For when you say the first person or the second, you show a noun in this.
    • c. 845, St. Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 159a3
      Is airi ní táet comsuidigud fri rangabáil, húare as coibnesta do bréthir: ar is lour comsuidigud fri suidi, air bid comsuidigud etarscartha comsuidigud rangabálae.
      This is why composition does not occur with a participle, because it is akin to a verb: for composition with the latter is sufficient, for composition of a participle will be separated composition.

PohnpeianEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

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.

Scottish GaelicEdit

EtymologyEdit

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).

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

air

  1. on, upon
    air bàrr a' bhalla ― on top of the wall
    Tha mi air an rathan ― I'm on my way.
  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.

Usage notesEdit

  • Air combines with personal pronouns to form prepositional pronouns. See Derived forms below. Specifically for air the third-person singular masculine pronoun is identical to the uninflected preposition, hence air = on or on him.
  • The word air and its derivates are also used in many idioms:
    Dè an t-ainm a tha ort? ― What's your name? (What the name that is on you?)
    Tha an t-acras orm. ― I'm hungry. (The hunger is on me.)
  • A grammaticalised unit meaning for is formed by a prepositional phrase combining the preposition air / ar with a nominal or pronominal argument and the noun son. (These structures are sometimes called ‘compound prepositions’.)

Derived termsEdit

  • The following prepositional pronouns:
Person Number Prepositional pronoun Prepositional pronoun (emphatic)
Singular 1st orm ormsa
2nd ort ortsa
3rd m air airsan
3rd f oirre oirrese
Plural 1st oirnn oirnne
2nd oirbh oirbhse
3rd orra orrasan

PronounEdit

air m

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

ReferencesEdit

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

VepsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Finnic *airo.

NounEdit

air

  1. oar

WelshEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

air

  1. Soft mutation of gair.

MutationEdit

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
gair air ngair unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
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