■ noun ( plural ~es or chiefly US ~ses )
1》 an air-like fluid substance which expands freely to fill any space available, irrespective of its quantity.
↘ Physics a substance of this type that cannot be liquefied by pressure alone. Compare with vapour .
↘a flammable ~ used as a fuel.
↘ Mining an explosive mixture of firedamp (methane) with air.
2》 a ~eous anaesthetic such as nitrous oxide, used in dentistry.
3》 N. Amer. flatulence.
4》 N. Amer. informal ~oline; petrol.
5》 ( a ~ ) informal an entertaining or amusing person or thing.
■ verb ( ~es , ~sing , ~sed )
1》 kill or harm by exposure to ~.
↘(of a storage battery or dry cell) give off ~.
2》 informal talk idly; chatter.
3》 N. Amer. informal fill the tank of (a motor vehicle) with petrol.
Derivatives
~ification noun
~ify verb ( ~ifies , ~ifying , ~ified ).
~ser noun
Origin
C17: invented by the Belgian chemist J. B. van Helmont to denote an occult principle which he believed to exist in all matter; suggested by Gk khaos 'chaos'.