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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

airless en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˈeɹ.ləs/ (Scotland)
  • /ˈɜː(ɹ).ləs/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈeə.ləs/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
  • /ˈiə.ləs/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
  • /ˈeː.ləs/ (Australia)
  • /ˈɛɚ.ləs/ (General-American)
  • /ˈɛə.ləs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈɛɹ.ləs/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English airless From air + -less.

Meanings

  1. Lacking or being without air.
  2. Lacking air circulation.
    • […] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
  3. With air that is stale.
  4. Suffering from asphyxia.
  5. (figuratively) Stifling; dead; lacking vitality or excitement.
    • The worst that can—and has—been said about Memento is that it’s an airless gimmick, visually undistinguished, and not even all that sophisticated when the puzzle pieces are finally put together. 2012 November 8, Scott Tobias, “Memento’s puzzle structure hides big twists and bigger profundities”, in The AV Club:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more airless Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most airless Degree=Sup lexicographic

Deriveds

airlessness · airlessly

Translations (13)

tr havasız (lacking air) · ru безвозду́шный (lacking air) · ka უჰაერო (lacking air) · fi ilmaton (lacking air) · fi tuulettumaton (lacking air circulation) · az havasız (lacking air) · ky абасыз (lacking air) · fi tunkkainen (lacking air circulation) · pl bezpowietrzny (lacking air) · uk безпові́тряний (lacking air) · bg безвъздушен (lacking air) · fi tunkkainen (with air that is stale) · mk безвоздушен (lacking air)