Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun ether

4 senses of ether

Sense 1
quintessence, ether -- (the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies)
       => element -- (one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe; "the alchemists believed that there were four elements")

Sense 2
ether -- (any of a class of organic compounds that have two hydrocarbon groups linked by an oxygen atom)
       => organic compound -- (any compound of carbon and another element or a radical)

Sense 3
ether, aether -- (a medium that was once supposed to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves)
       => medium -- (an intervening substance through which signals can travel as a means for communication)

Sense 4
ether, ethoxyethane, divinyl ether, vinyl ether, diethyl ether, ethyl ether -- (a colorless volatile highly inflammable liquid formerly used as an inhalation anesthetic)
       => inhalation anesthetic, inhalation anaesthetic, inhalation general anesthetic, inhalation general anaesthetic -- (a gas that produces general anesthesia when inhaled)