Etherifies

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Chemically converts an alcohol or other compound into an ether by joining two molecules through an oxygen atom
2. Transforms a compound into an ether, typically by removing water so that two groups link through oxygen
3. Produces an ether from a starting material, usually by a dehydration or substitution reaction in the laboratory

Etymology: "Etherifies" is the third-person singular form of "etherify," meaning to convert something into ether, usually by reaction with alcohol. The verb is built from "ether" plus the suffix "-ify," which comes through Old French "-ifier" and Latin "-ificare," a pattern meaning "to make into" or "to cause to become." The noun "ether" has a longer and more surprising history. In ancient Greek, "aithēr" was the bright, upper air that the gods breathed, set above the ordinary air of the lower atmosphere. The Greek word is linked to "aithō," meaning "to burn" or "to shine," so the original sense was closer to a glowing, fiery heaven than to any chemical. Latin borrowed it as "aether," and English took it over in the sense of the pure upper sky. Chemists later applied "ether" to a volatile liquid made by treating alcohol with acid, and the verb "etherify" grew from that laboratory use. The name was in use before the modern chemistry of ether was understood, which is why a word for the shining sky now names a substance you can pour from a bottle.