Air

How to spell air

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce air

What does air mean?

1. nounThe invisible mixture of gases that surrounds the earth and that we breathe.
2. verbTo broadcast a programme on radio or television, or to express an opinion publicly.
3. verbTo expose something to fresh air in order to dry, cool, or freshen it.
4. nounA particular manner, appearance, or impression that someone or something gives.

Air in a sentence

• noun

  The mountain air felt thin and cold at the summit.

• verb

  The network will air the final episode on Sunday night.

• verb

  Hang the damp towels outside to air them properly.

• noun

  He walked in with an air of calm authority.

• noun

  She opened the window to let fresh air into the stuffy office.

• verb

  The meeting gave staff a chance to air their concerns.

Where does air come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word air traces back to the ancient Greek aer, meaning the lower atmosphere or the haze near the ground, as opposed to the bright upper sky. Latin borrowed this as aer, and it passed into Old French as air before reaching English in the 1200s. The basic sense, the invisible mixture of gases we breathe, has stayed remarkably stable across all those centuries. Along the way the word picked up several useful extensions: a tune or melody (an 'air'), and a person's manner or bearing (an 'air of confidence'). The short, simple spelling hides a real trap, since air sounds exactly like heir (the one who inherits) and like the verb err (to make a mistake), so the meaning, not the sound, must guide the writer.

How the word is built

• air (single root, from Latin aer 'the lower atmosphere')

Words that sound like air

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• heir: A person who is legally entitled to inherit the property, title, or rank of another after that person dies.