Added 7 October 2026
gas
/ɡæs/ noun
In Latin: gas, gasum, gasium Coined: a coined word, by Jan Baptist Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gas at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity; relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature; the ability to diffuse readily; and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container.
- A fluid in the gaseous state having neither independent shape nor volume and being able to expand indefinitely.
- A volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines.
verb
Origin
Borrowed from Dutch gas, coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in Ortus Medicinae. Derived from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, “chasm, void, empty space”); perhaps also inspired by geest (“breath, vapour, spirit”). Doublet of chaos. First attested in 1648.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)