Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Gas

Gas

(găs)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Gases
(găs′ĕz)
.
[Invented by the chemist
Van Helmont
of Brussels, who died in 1644.]
1.
An aëriform fluid; – a term used at first by chemists as synonymous with air, but since restricted to fluids supposed to be permanently elastic, as oxygen, hydrogen, etc., in distinction from vapors, as steam, which become liquid on a reduction of temperature. In present usage, since all of the supposed permanent gases have been liquified by cold and pressure, the term has resumed nearly its original signification, and is applied to any substance in the elastic or aëriform state.
2.
(Popular Usage)
(a)
A complex mixture of gases, of which the most important constituents are marsh gas, olefiant gas, and hydrogen, artificially produced by the destructive distillation of gas coal, or sometimes of peat, wood, oil, resin, etc. It gives a brilliant light when burned, and is the common gas used for illuminating purposes.
(b)
Laughing gas.
(c)
Any irrespirable aëriform fluid.
☞ Gas is often used adjectively or in combination; as, gas fitter or gasfitter; gas meter or gas-meter, etc.
Air gas
(Chem.)
,
a kind of gas made by forcing air through some volatile hydrocarbon, as the lighter petroleums. The air is so saturated with combustible vapor as to be a convenient illuminating and heating agent.
–
Gas battery
(Elec.)
,
a form of voltaic battery, in which gases, especially hydrogen and oxygen, are the active agents.
–
Gas carbon
,
Gas coke
,
etc. See under
Carbon
,
Coke
, etc.
–
Gas coal
,
a bituminous or hydrogenous coal yielding a high percentage of volatile matters, and therefore available for the manufacture of illuminating gas.
R. W. Raymond.
–
Gas engine
,
an engine in which the motion of the piston is produced by the combustion or sudden production or expansion of gas; – especially, an engine in which an explosive mixture of gas and air is forced into the working cylinder and ignited there by a gas flame or an electric spark.
–
Gas fitter
,
one who lays pipes and puts up fixtures for gas.
–
Gas fitting
.
(a)
The occupation of a gas fitter.
(b)
pl.
The appliances needed for the introduction of gas into a building, as meters, pipes, burners, etc.
–
Gas fixture
,
a device for conveying illuminating or combustible gas from the pipe to the gas-burner, consisting of an appendage of cast, wrought, or drawn metal, with tubes upon which the burners, keys, etc., are adjusted.
–
Gas generator
,
an apparatus in which gas is evolved
; as:
(a)
a retort in which volatile hydrocarbons are evolved by heat
;
(b)
a machine in which air is saturated with the vapor of liquid hydrocarbon; a carburetor
;
(c)
a machine for the production of carbonic acid gas, for aërating water, bread, etc.
Knight.
–
Gas jet
,
a flame of illuminating gas.
–
Gas machine
,
an apparatus for carbureting air for use as illuminating gas.
–
Gas meter
,
an instrument for recording the quantity of gas consumed in a given time, at a particular place.
–
Gas retort
,
a retort which contains the coal and other materials, and in which the gas is generated, in the manufacture of gas.
–
Gas stove
,
a stove for cooking or other purposes, heated by gas.
–
Gas tar
,
coal tar.
–
Gas trap
,
a drain trap; a sewer trap. See 4th
Trap
, 5.
–
Gas washer
(Gas Works)
,
an apparatus within which gas from the condenser is brought in contact with a falling stream of water, to precipitate the tar remaining in it.
Knight.
–
Gas water
,
water through which gas has been passed for purification; – called also
gas liquor
and
ammoniacal water
, and used for the manufacture of sal ammoniac, carbonate of ammonia, and Prussian blue.
Tomlinson.
–
Gas well
,
a deep boring, from which natural gas is discharged.
Raymond.
–
Gas works
,
a manufactory of gas, with all the machinery and appurtenances; a place where gas is generated for lighting cities.
–
Laughing gas
.
See under
Laughing
.
–
Marsh gas
(Chem.)
,
a light, combustible, gaseous hydrocarbon,
CH4
, produced artificially by the dry distillation of many organic substances, and occurring as a natural product of decomposition in stagnant pools, whence its name. It is an abundant ingredient of ordinary illuminating gas, and is the first member of the paraffin series. Called also
methane
, and in coal mines,
fire damp
.
–
Natural gas
,
gas obtained from wells, etc., in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and elsewhere, and largely used for fuel and illuminating purposes. It is chiefly derived from the Coal Measures.
–
Olefiant gas
(Chem.)
.
See
Ethylene
.
–
Water gas
(Chem.)
,
a kind of gas made by forcing steam over glowing coals, whereby there results a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This gives a gas of intense heating power, but destitute of light-giving properties, and which is charged by passing through some volatile hydrocarbon, as gasoline.

Webster 1828 Edition

Gas

GAS

, n.
In chimistry, a permanently elastic aeriform fluid, or a substance reduced to the state of an aeriform fluid by its permanent combination with caloric.
Gases are invisible except when colored, which happens in two or three instances.

Definition 2024

Gas

Gas

See also: gas, gás, gaś, gãs, gås, gą̊s, and gås'

English

Proper noun

Gas

  1. A commune in Eure-et-Loir, France.
  2. A city in Kansas.

German

Etymology

From Dutch gas.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡaːs/ (standard)
  • IPA(key): /ɡas/ (Low German areas)
  • Rhymes: -aːs, -as

Noun

Gas n ‎(genitive Gases, plural Gase)

  1. gas (matter in a chemical state between liquid and plasma)
  2. petrol (only in proverbs)
    gas geben
    to accelerate the car or to drive fast
    Ich will Spaß, ich geb Gas
    I wanna have fun, I'm driving fast
    gas geben
    to intense the effort into a work
    Jetzt gibt er Gas
    From now on he starts working harder

Usage notice: Noone would use the term "Gas" outside the proverb in the sense of "petrol" or "power".

Declension

Derived terms

Luxembourgish

Etymology

Via German and/or French from Dutch gas.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡaːs/
    • Rhymes: -aːs
    • Homophone: Gaass

Noun

Gas m ‎(plural Gasen)

  1. gas

gas

gas

See also: Gas, gás, gaś, gãs, gås, gą̊s, gæs, gæs', and gås'

English

Noun

gas ‎(countable and uncountable, plural gases or gasses)

  1. (uncountable, chemistry) Matter in a state intermediate between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid) (or held together by gravitational pull); it can condense into a liquid, or can (rarely) become a solid directly.
    • 2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist:
      Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
    A lot of gas had escaped from the cylinder.‎
  2. (countable, chemistry) A chemical element or compound in such a state.
    The atmosphere is made up of a number of different gases.‎
  3. (uncountable) A flammable gaseous hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon mixture (typically predominantly methane) used as a fuel, e.g. for cooking, heating, electricity generation or as a fuel in internal combustion engines in vehicles.
    Gas-fired power stations have largely replaced coal-burning ones.‎
  4. (countable) A hob on a gas cooker.
    She turned the gas on, put the potatoes on, then lit the oven.‎
  5. (US) Methane or other waste gases trapped in one's belly as a result of the digestive process.
    My tummy hurts so bad, I have gas.‎
  6. (slang) A humorous or entertaining event or person.
    He is such a gas!‎
  7. (baseball) A fastball.
    The closer threw him nothing but gas.‎
Synonyms
  • (state of matter): vapor / vapour
  • (digestive process): wind, fart (when gas is released) (US, slang)
Derived terms
Translations
See also

Verb

gas ‎(third-person singular simple present gases, present participle gassing, simple past and past participle gassed)

  1. (transitive) To kill with poisonous gas.
  2. (intransitive) To talk, chat.
    • 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:
      […] (it was the town's humour to be always gassing of phantom investors who were likely to come any moment and pay a thousand prices for everything) — “[…] Them rich fellers, they don't make no bad breaks with their money. […]”
    • 1955, C. S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew, Collins, 1998, Chapter 3,
      "Well don't keep on gassing about it," said Digory.
  3. (intransitive) To emit gas.
    The battery cell was gassing.‎
  4. (transitive) To impregnate with gas.
    to gas lime with chlorine in the manufacture of bleaching powder
  5. (transitive) To singe, as in a gas flame, so as to remove loose fibers.
    to gas thread
Translations

Etymology 2

Short for gasoline.

Noun

gas ‎(uncountable)

  1. (uncountable, US) Gasoline; a derivative of petroleum used as fuel.
  2. (US) Gas pedal.
Synonyms
  • (gasoline): gasoline (US), petrol (British)
  • See also Wikisaurus:petroleum.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

gas ‎(third-person singular simple present gases or gasses, present participle gassing, simple past and past participle gassed)

  1. (US) To give a vehicle more fuel in order to accelerate it.
    The cops are coming. Gas it!
  2. (US) To fill (a vehicle's fuel tank) with fuel.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Compare the slang usage of "a gas", above.

Adjective

gas ‎(comparative gasser, superlative gassest)

  1. (Ireland, colloquial) comical, zany; fun, amusing
    Mary's new boyfriend is a gas man.
    It was gas when the bird flew into the classroom.

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch gast.

Noun

gas ‎(plural gaste)

  1. guest

Basque

Noun

gas

  1. gas

Declension

"gas"
(inanimate noun) declension
indefinite singular plural
absolutive gas gasa gasak
ergative gasek gasak gasek
dative gasi gasari gasei
genitive gasen gasaren gasen
comitative gasekin gasarekin gasekin
causative gasentzat gasarentzat gasentzat
benefactive gasengatik gasarengatik gasengatik
instrumental gasez gasaz gasez
inessive gasetan gasan gasetan
locative gasetako gaseko gasetako
allative gasetara gasera gasetara
terminative gasetaraino gaseraino gasetaraino
directive gasetarantz gaserantz gasetarantz
destinative gasetarako gaserako gasetarako
ablative gasetatik gasetik gasetatik
partitive gasik
-
-
prolative gastzat
-
-

Derived terms

Catalan

Noun

gas m ‎(plural gasos)

  1. gas

Related terms

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɣɑs/
  • Rhymes: -ɑs

Etymology 1

Coined by chemist Van Helmont. Perhaps inspired by geest ‎(“breath, vapour, spirit”) or by chaos ‎(“chaos”), from Ancient Greek χάος ‎(kháos, “chasm, void”).

Noun

gas n ‎(plural gassen, diminutive gasje n)

  1. gas
  2. (automotive) liquefied petroleum gas
Synonyms
Derived terms

Verb

gas

  1. first-person singular present indicative of gassen
  2. imperative of gassen

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch gasse ‎(“unpaved street”), from Middle High German gazze, from Old High German gazza, from Proto-Germanic *gatwǭ. Cognate with English gate and German Gasse ‎(“unpaved street”). Related to Dutch gat ‎(“hole”).

Noun

gas f ‎(plural gassen, diminutive gasje n)

  1. unpaved street

Galician

Noun

gas m ‎(plural gases)

  1. gas

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kaːs/
  • Rhymes: -aːs

Etymology 1

From Dutch gas.

Noun

gas n ‎(genitive singular gass, nominative plural gös)

  1. gas (state of matter)
Declension
declension of gas
n-s singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative gas gasið gös gösin
accusative gas gasið gös gösin
dative gasi gasinu gösum gösunum
genitive gass gassins gasa gasanna
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From French gaze

Noun

gas n ‎(genitive singular gass, no plural)

  1. gauze
Declension
declension of gas
n-s singular
indefinite definite
nominative gas gasið
accusative gas gasið
dative gasi gasinu
genitive gass gassins
Derived terms
  • gasbleia

Anagrams

Indonesian

Noun

gas

  1. gas

Interlingua

Noun

gas

  1. gas

Irish

Pronunciation

Noun

gas m ‎(genitive singular gais, nominative plural gais)

  1. stalk, stem
  2. sprig, shoot, frond
  3. (figuratively) stripling; scion

Declension

Declension of gas

First declension

Bare forms:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative gas gais
Vocative a ghais a ghasa
Genitive gais gas
Dative gas gais

Forms with the definite article:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an gas na gais
Genitive an ghais na ngas
Dative leis an ngas

don ghas

 leis na gais

Derived terms

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
gas ghas ngas
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Italian

Noun

gas m

  1. gas (state of matter, petroleum)
  2. petrol
  3. poison gas

Synonyms

Related terms

Related terms

Latin

Pronunciation

Noun

gas n ‎(genitive gasis); third declension

  1. (physics) gas (state of matter)

Inflection

Third declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative gas gasēs
genitive gasis gasum
dative gasī gasibus
accusative gasem gasēs
ablative gase gasibus
vocative gas gasēs

References

Lojban

Rafsi

gas

  1. rafsi of ganse.

Norman

Etymology

From Old French gars, nominative singular form of garçon.

Noun

gas m ‎(plural gas)

  1. (Jersey) chap

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *gans, whence also Old English gōs, Old Frisian gōs, Old High German gans, Old Norse gás. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰans-.

Noun

gās f

  1. a goose

Declension

Declension of gās
Singular Plural
nominative gās gās
accusative gās gās
genitive gāses gāsō
dative gāse gāsum
instrumental — —

Descendants

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse gás, from Proto-Germanic *gans.

Noun

gās f

  1. goose

Declension

Declension of gās (consonant stem)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative gās gāsin gǣs gǣssinar, -ena(r)
accusative gās gāsina, -ena gǣs gǣssinar, -ena(r)
dative gās gāsinni, -inne gāsum, -om gāsumin, -omen
genitive gāsa(r) gāsinna(r) gāsa gāsanna

Descendants

Rohingya

Etymology

From Bengali.

Noun

gas

  1. tree

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡâːs/

Noun

gȃs m ‎(Cyrillic spelling га̑с)

  1. (chiefly Bosnia, Serbia or colloquial) gas (state of matter)
  2. gas (as fuel for combustion engines)
  3. (figuratively) acceleration
    • dȁti gȃs - “give gas”: accelerate
  4. gas pedal, accelerator

Declension

Declension of gas
singular plural
nominative gȃs gásovi
genitive gasa gásōvā
dative gasu gasovima
accusative gȃs gasove
vocative gase gasovi
locative gásu gasovima
instrumental gasom gasovima

Synonyms

  • (gaseous state of matter): plȋn (Croatian)

Spanish

Etymology

From Dutch gas, coined by Belgian chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont. Perhaps inspired by Middle Dutch gheest (Modern Dutch geest) "breath, vapour, spirit", or from Ancient Greek χάος ‎(kháos, “chasm, void”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡa̠s/

Noun

gas m ‎(plural gases)

  1. gas

Derived terms

Anagrams

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

gas c

  1. gas; a state of matter
  2. gas; a compound or element in such a state
  3. gas; gaseous fuels
  4. (plural only: gaser) gas; waste gas

Declension

Inflection of gas 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative gas gasen gaser gaserna
Genitive gas gasens gasers gasernas

Derived terms

Terms derived from gas
  • gasledning
  • gaslykta
  • gasverk
  • ge gas
  • ha gaser
  • kvävgas

Welsh

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡɑːs/

Verb

gas

  1. Soft mutation of cas.

West Frisian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡas/

Noun

gas n

  1. gas

Etymology

From Dutch gas, a word coined by chemist Van Helmont. From Ancient Greek χάος ‎(kháos, “chasm, void”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡæs/
  • Rhymes: -æs

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