Aeriest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting the lightest and most ethereal characteristics, possessing a delicate and lofty essence, and creating an atmosphere that feels insubstantial and dreamlike
2. Demonstrating an exceptional lightness and ethereal quality, embodying an excessively lofty nature, and evoking a surreal or insubstantial ambiance
3. Being the highest or most elevated in position or quality ; having qualities typical of a bird's nest placed high up, such as lightness and exposure to air

Etymology: "Aeriest" is the superlative of "aery", so it is the form meaning most airy, most lofty or most insubstantial. The base word came into Middle English as "aery", borrowed from the Latin "āerius", which meant "of the air" and was itself drawn from the Greek "aēr", air. The sense of "aery" as "lofty" or "built high in the air" came first, and the notion of something insubstantial, light, or dreamlike grew out of that idea of height and open air. Because "aery" was rarely used in ordinary speech, it kept the older, more literal sense of "of the air" longer than most words borrowed in the same period. Its superlative shows the same pattern: the sense of being furthest from the ground slides toward the sense of being furthest from solid reality.

Synonyms: ethereal, lightest, gossamer, airy, buoyant

Antonyms: heavy, dense, solid, weighty, substantial