Word: Ethereal

The Word of the Day for Mar 07 is:
ethereal \ih-THEER-ee-ul (TH as in "think")\ adjective

*1 : celestial, heavenly
2 : exceptionally delicate : airy, dainty

Example sentence:
That evening, John and Courtney relaxed on the deck of their chartered sloop, gazing up at the starry, ethereal firmament.

Did you know?
If you're burning to know the history of "ethereal," you're in the right spirit to fully understand that word's etymology. The ancients believed that the Earth was composed of earth, air, fire, and water, but that the heavens and its denizens were made of a purer, less tangible substance known as either "ether" or "quintessence." Ether was often described as an invisible light or fire, and its name derives from the Greek "aithein," a verb meaning "to ignite" or "to blaze." When "ethereal," the adjective kin of "ether," debuted in English in the 1500s, it referred specifically to regions beyond the Earth, but it gradually came to refer to anything heavenly, spiritual, or intangible.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

My sentence:
Many years ago, when Chrissie Hynde first sang that she was "feeling kinda ethereal," in the song "Precious," I looked it up to better grasp it's meaning.

Comments

[Cyn]

Hey Joe!

Thanks for dropping by. I haven't been called intriguing in ...well maybe never! ;)

I stopped by your site and immediately noticed that you read "dooce" too.
You are my kind of guy.

Cheers!

--Cyn

[Joe]

Hi Cyn, I ran across your post today and love your style. I love bloging, but it is just plain talking and messing around with people all over. You intrique me. I will be back. Oh by the way I do a word a day to, but nothing as glamorus is you. I just through out a word. Have a good week.

[Cyn]

"Not me baby. I'm too precious. I had to **** off?"

Strange times.
I can't let my kids hear some of my older music because it's too risqué.

[Dan]

Chrissy also said something else in "Precious," which was pretty daring at the time...

Dan