Luft

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Air or atmosphere in a general sense; a term used in various contexts to represent a space or environment; sometimes denotes the feeling of openness or freedom in a particular setting
2. The quality or essence of the air that surrounds us; an expression referring to the spatial concept of air and its relation to human perception; can imply an airy or light ambiance within a specific area
3. Often associated with the idea of fresh air or circulation; used to convey the notion of breathing space or expansiveness; can suggest feelings of liberation or a breath of fresh air

Etymology: The English noun "luft" is a borrowing from German "Luft," meaning "air," and it is a doublet of two older English words, "lift" and "loft." That means all three descend from the same ancestor, though they reached English by different routes and took on different meanings. "Lift" and "loft" came into English through Old English and Old Norse, where they carried the sense of the sky or upper air, and "lift" went on to mean raising and "loft" to mean an upper space in a building. "Luft" entered English later, retaining the older German sense of the air around us, so it is the word that stayed closest to the original idea of open air.

Synonyms: air, breath, aer, oxygen, atmosphere