Vaporiform

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Taking on a form that resembles gaseous or misty substances indicates qualities that are elusive or insubstantial, reflecting properties of vapor
2. Having the appearance or qualities typical of gas or mist with an insubstantial or fleeting nature
3. Exhibiting traits that are light, diffuse, or suggestive of gaseous matter or fog-like form

Etymology: "Vaporiform" is simply "vapor" with the suffix "-iform" attached, and that suffix does most of the work. "-iform" comes from Latin "-iformis," which combines a stem with "forma," meaning shape or form, so the word literally means "having the form of vapor." English has long used this pattern to describe things by their resemblance to something else, so "vaporiform" joins a family of similar coinages such as "cruciform" (cross-shaped) and "filiform" (thread-shaped). The "vapor" part traces back through Old French and Latin to a Latin word for steam or breath, and the same root lies behind "vapour" spelled the British way. The adjective applies that root to anything resembling a thin, insubstantial mist or gas, so a fog bank, a faint haze, or a cloud of smoke could all be called vaporiform.

Synonyms: gaseous, misty, fugacious, evaporative, airy

Antonyms: solid, liquid, stable, dense, substantial