Aeriality

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of exhibiting qualities that pertain to the atmosphere or sky
2. The characteristic of being related to or happening in the air or atmosphere
3. The condition of existing above the ground, involving or connected with the sky

Etymology: "Aeriality" is a straightforward formation: English took the adjective "aerial" and attached the suffix "-ity", which turns adjectives into nouns of quality, so "aerial" becomes "the state of being aerial." The base word goes back to Latin "aerius", from Greek "aerios", meaning "of the air," itself built on "aer", air. That ancient root is why the word feels so light: everything in it points to the sky. The sense the word carries here, "airiness," is the same idea in a more figurative key. "Aerial" in English can describe something lofty or delicate as well as something literally in the air, so "aeriality" names the quality of seeming to float free of weight, a lightness that belongs to the air rather than to the ground.

Synonyms: aerial nature