entry
gas
/ɡæs/Matter without fixed shape or volume
From Dutch, ultimately probably Ancient Greek gas (Void).
from Greek khaos "empty space" (see chaos ). The sound of Dutch "g" is roughly equivalent to that of Greek "kh." First...
from Dutch gas, probably
+1 more sourcefrom Dutch gas, probably
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Greek khaos "empty space" (see chaos ). The sound of Dutch "g" is roughly equivalent to that of Greek "kh." First...
from Dutch gas, probably
+1 more sourcefrom Dutch gas, probably
+1 more sourceIn the 1640s, Flemish chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont needed a name for a substance that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. He reached for Greek khaos, “empty space” or “chasm,” and reshaped it into Dutch gas—a tiny spelling change with a huge scientific career ahead of it. Van Helmont even wrote, “This vapor, hitherto unknown, I call by a new name, gas,” in his posthumously published Ortus Medicinae. The route is not perfectly certain: the Dutch word may also have been nudged by geest, meaning “breath, vapor, or spirit,” while the occult writings associated with Paracelsus supplied the atmospheric mood. By 1779 gas had its modern scientific sense; later it expanded into coal gas, anesthetic gas, poison gas, intestinal gas, and finally slang for empty talk or something excellent. The word began as a name for a mysterious void—and ended up describing the invisible stuff filling nearly every room you enter.
The Story
In the 1640s, Flemish chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont needed a name for a substance that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. He reached for Greek khaos, “empty space” or “chasm,” and reshaped it into Dutch gas—a tiny spelling change with a huge scientific career ahead of it. Van Helmont even wrote, “This vapor, hitherto unknown, I call by a new name, gas,” in his posthumously published Ortus Medicinae. The route is not perfectly certain: the Dutch word may also have been nudged by geest, meaning “breath, vapor, or spirit,” while the occult writings associated with Paracelsus supplied the atmospheric mood. By 1779 gas had its modern scientific sense; later it expanded into coal gas, anesthetic gas, poison gas, intestinal gas, and finally slang for empty talk or something excellent. The word began as a name for a mysterious void—and ended up describing the invisible stuff filling nearly every room you enter.
Modern Usage
High-quality marijuana or something especially enjoyable or exciting
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries for high-grade marijuana and something enjoyable
Kin & Kindred
From 'gas'·Void, vapor, or airy substance
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary