gas

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

gas (countable and uncountable, plural gases or gasses)

  1. (uncountable, physical chemistry) Matter in an intermediate state 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 by deposition.
    • 2013 July–August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist, archived from the original on 7 September 2013:
      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.
    Synonyms: vapor, vapour
    1. (uncountable) A flammable gaseous hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon mixture used as a fuel, e.g. for cooking, heating, electricity generation or as a fuel in internal combustion engines in vehicles, especially natural gas.
      Gas-fired power stations have largely replaced coal-burning ones.
    2. (uncountable, military) Poison gas.
      The artillery fired gas shells into the enemy trenches.
  2. (countable, physical chemistry) A chemical element or compound in such a state.
    The atmosphere is made up of a number of different gases.
  3. (countable) A hob on a gas cooker.
    She turned the gas on, put the potatoes on, then lit the oven.
  4. (uncountable) Methane or other waste gases trapped in one's belly as a result of the digestive process; flatus.
    Synonym: wind
    My tummy hurts so bad – I have gas.
    • 2008, Nicholas Drayson, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, page 72:
      But anyone with that many large brown birds aroost in his cranium and that much gas in his bottom was clearly not a well person.
  5. (business, often attributive) The supply of natural gas, as a utility.
  6. (slang, dated) A humorous or entertaining event, person, or thing.
    • 1963 May, Gloria Steinem, “A Bunny's Tale”, in Show Magazine, archived from the original on 2017-10-04:
      Two more girls came in, one in bright pink stretch pants and the other in purple. “Man this place is a gas,” said pink.
    • 1971, Marc Bolan (lyrics and music), “Life's a Gas”, in Electric Warrior, performed by T. Rex:
      No it really doesn't matter at all / Life's a gas / I hope it's going to last
    • 1973 March 1, “Money” (track 6), in The Dark Side of the Moon, performed by Pink Floyd:
      Money, it's a gas. Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
    • 1978, “Heart of Glass”, in Parallel Lines, performed by Blondie:
      Once I had a love and it was a gas / Soon turned out had a heart of glass
    • 1979, “Belsen Was a Gas”, in The Great Rock ‛n’ Roll Swindle, performed by Sex Pistols:
      Be a man, Be a man / Belsen was a gas / Be a man, kill someone
    • 2011 October 11, “Jumping Jack Flash (Live 1973)” (track 14), in Brussels Affair (Live 1973), performed by The Rolling Stones:
      One two! I was born in a cross-fire hurricane. And I howled at the maw in the drivin' rain. But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas. But it's all right. I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash. It's a gas, gas, gas.
  7. (slang) Frothy or boastful talk; chatter.
    • 2017 July 1, “About That”, performed by Soph Aspin and Millie B:
      Bang, little boy, stop with the gas / Little T, man he chats up his ass
  8. (baseball) A fastball.
    The closer threw him nothing but gas.
  9. (medicine, colloquial) Arterial or venous blood gas.
Derived terms
Translations
See also

Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To attack or kill with poison gas.
    The Nazis gassed millions of Jews during the Holocaust.
    He never fully recovered after he was gassed on the Western Front.
  2. (transitive) To use poison gas in (a volume or area) to attack or kill someone or something.
    • 2023 October 14, HarryBlank, “Face Time”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 23 May 2024:
      "He's been waiting to jump my brain-bones since I left R&E. I could feel him hammering on the door." She trotted to the nearest wall and knocked on it for emphasis. "But whatever it is that makes us remember the good old days, it also makes us impossible to possess now. That's why Willie and I both woke up, and why Noè never got taken out by Mukami. So all I had to do was open my mind up to the guy, invite him in, then... gas the foyer, as it were."
  3. (intransitive, slang) To talk in a boastful or vapid way; to chatter.
    • 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, chapter 3, in The Magician's Nephew, Collins, published 1998:
      "Well don't keep on gassing about it," said Digory.
  4. (transitive, slang) To impose upon by talking boastfully.
    • 2018 September 14, “Don't Gas Me” (track 1), in Don't Gas Me, performed by Dizzy Rascal:
      I went shop and the boss man said "Don't pay me it's fine" and I said ...(whaaat): "You ain't gotta gas, I'm gas fam" ( don't gas me), "You ain't gotta gas, I'm gas fam".
  5. (intransitive) To emit gas.
    The battery cell was gassing.
  6. (transitive) To impregnate with gas.
    to gas lime with chlorine in the manufacture of bleaching powder
  7. (transitive) To singe, as in a gas flame, so as to remove loose fibers.
    to gas thread
Translations

Etymology 2

Clipping of gasoline.

Noun

gas (countable and uncountable, plural gases or gasses)

  1. (uncountable, Canada, US, New Zealand) Gasoline, a light derivative of petroleum used as fuel.
    Synonyms: (US) gasoline, (British) petrol; see also Thesaurus:petroleum
  2. (uncountable, by extension) Ellipsis of gas pedal; accelerator.
  3. (uncountable, cryptocurrencies) An internal virtual currency used in Ethereum to pay for certain operations, such as blockchain transactions.
    Coordinate term: Ether
    gas fee
    • 2018, Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Gavin Wood, Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and DApps, O'Reilly Media, →ISBN:
      Gas is the fuel of Ethereum. Gas is not ether–it's a separate virtual currency with its own exchange rate against ether. Ethereum uses gas to control the amount of resources that transactions can use []
    • 2021 November 6, Ben Butler, “Australian banks are opening up to cryptocurrency: what does it mean for you?”, in The Guardian:
      The average “gas fee” – transaction cost – of an Ethereum transaction is between US$85 and US $156, according to crypto.com data.
  4. (slang, uncountable) Marijuana, typically of high quality.
Usage notes
  • Unlike most terms derived from gasoline, the use of gas to mean gas pedal is not restricted to North America, and is also used in the UK; particularly among driving instructors and motoring enthusiasts.
Derived terms
Terms derived from gas (gasoline)
Translations

Verb

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

  1. (US) To increase the fuel flow to a vehicle's engine in order to accelerate it.
    Synonyms: hit the gas, step on the gas
    The cops are coming. Gas it!
  2. (US) To fill (a vehicle's fuel tank) with fuel.
    Synonym: refuel
    • 1947 October 30, Bureau of Ships, “SECTION III - DISCUSSION”, in U.S.S. Princeton (CVL23): Loss in Action, Battle for Leyte Gulf, 24 October 1944, United States Hydrographic Office, archived from the original on 25 June 2024, B. Fires and Explosions in Hangar., page 8:
      Between 0945 and 1020 six definite explosions were reported in the hangar. Explosions at 0945 and 1006 were described as minor while those at 1002, 1003 and 1005 were classed as major explosions and the explosion at 1020 was described as a heavy explosion but less severe than some previous ones. The cause of these explosions was not reported and can only be estimated from the damage sustained by the ship and the known condition of loading. Each of the six torpedo planes spotted in the hangar was armed with one Mark 13, torpex-loaded torpedo and was fully gassed, including auxiliary wing tanks. Explosions in the hangar therefore might have been either detonations of torpedoes or gasoline vapor explosions.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

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

Adjective

gas (comparative gasser, superlative gassest)

  1. (slang) Comical, zany; fun, amusing.
    Mary's new boyfriend is a gas man.
    It was gas when the bird flew into the classroom.
    • 2016, Liz Nugent, Lying In Wait, →ISBN, page 113:
      The other models were gas fun, though they were all a bit hoity-toity.
    • 2018 September 14, “Don't Gas Me” (track 1), in Don't Gas Me, performed by Dizzy Rascal:
      I went shop and the boss man said "Don't pay me it's fine" and I said ...(whaaat): "You ain't gotta gas, I'm gas fam" ( don't gas me), "You ain't gotta gas, I'm gas fam".

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology 1

From Dutch gast.

Noun

gas (plural gaste)

  1. guest

Etymology 2

From Dutch gas.

Noun

gas (plural gasse)

  1. gas (substance in gaseous phase)

Basque

Basque Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia eu

Pronunciation

Noun

gas inan

  1. gas

Declension

Derived terms

Catalan

Pronunciation

Noun

gas m (plural gasos)

  1. gas

Derived terms

Further reading

Chinese

Etymology

From English gas.

Pronunciation


Noun

gas

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) gas (fuel)

Derived terms

Dutch

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in Ortus Medicinae (1648), by way of deliberate similarity to Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, chasm, void, chaos).

Noun

gas n (plural gassen, diminutive gasje n)

  1. gas
  2. liquefied petroleum gas
    Synonyms: autogas, LPG
Derived terms
Descendants

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch gasse (unpaved street), from Middle High German gazze, from Old High German gazza, from Proto-Germanic *gatwǭ.

Noun

gas f (plural gassen, diminutive gasje n)

  1. unpaved street

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

gas

  1. inflection of gassen:
    1. first-person singular present indicative
    2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
    3. imperative

Galician

Noun

gas m (plural gases)

  1. gas
    Synonym: vapor

Derived terms

Icelandic

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Dutch gas.

Noun

gas n (genitive singular gass, nominative plural gös)

  1. gas (state of matter)
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French gaze.

Noun

gas n (genitive singular gass, no plural)

  1. gauze
Declension
Derived terms

Anagrams

Indonesian

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology

From Dutch gas (gas), a term coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont. Perhaps inspired by geest (breath, vapour, spirit) or by chaos (chaos), from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, chasm, void).

Pronunciation

Noun

gas (plural gas-gas, first-person possessive gasku, second-person possessive gasmu, third-person possessive gasnya)

  1. gas
    1. (chemistry, physics) 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.
    2. 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.

Derived terms

Compounds

Verb

gas

  1. (colloquial) to hit the gas, to accelerate.
    Synonym: mengegas

Further reading

Interlingua

Noun

gas (plural gases)

  1. gas

Irish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Noun

gas m (genitive singular gais, nominative plural gais or gasa)

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

Declension

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.

References

  1. ^ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 121

Further reading

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡas/
  • Rhymes: -as
  • Hyphenation: gàs

Noun

gas m (uncountable)

  1. gas (state of matter, petroleum)
  2. carbon dioxide (in fizzy drinks)
  3. petrol
    Synonym: benzina
  4. poison gas

Further reading

  • gas in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Etymology

Coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont (appearing in his Ortus Medicinae as an invariable noun).

Pronunciation

Noun

Latin Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia la

gas n (genitive gasis); third declension

  1. (physics) gas (state of matter)
    Synonyms: gasum, gasium

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

Malay

Etymology

From English gas, 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).

Pronunciation

Noun

gas (Jawi spelling ݢس, plural gas-gas, informal 1st possessive gasku, 2nd possessive gasmu, 3rd possessive gasnya)

  1. gas:
    1. (physics) One of the four states of matter.
      Coordinate terms: pepejal (solid), cecair (liquid), plasma (plasma)
    2. (uncountable, physical chemistry) Matter in an intermediate state 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 by deposition.
    3. The gas that is released by coal factories.
    4. The vapour that is released by petrol or gasoline.

Compounds

Further reading

Naga Pidgin

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Assamese গছ (gos).

Noun

gas

  1. tree

Norman

Etymology

From Old French gars, nominative singular form of garçon.

Noun

gas m (plural gas)

  1. (Jersey) chap

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From French gaze.

Noun

gas m (definite singular gasen, indefinite plural gaser, definite plural gasene)

  1. gauze

See also

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From French gaze.

Noun

gas m (definite singular gasen, indefinite plural gasar, definite plural gasane)

  1. gauze

See also

References

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *gans, from Proto-Germanic *gans, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂éns.

Noun

gās f

  1. a goose

Declension


Descendants

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

Noun

gās f

  1. goose

Declension

Descendants

Rohingya

Etymology

From Sanskrit.

Noun

gas

  1. tree

Romagnol

Etymology

From Dutch gas (gas), invented by Jan Baptiste van Helmont, from Latin chaos (chaos).

Pronunciation

Noun

gas m (plural ghës)

  1. gas

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

Noun

gȃs m (Cyrillic spelling га̑с)

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

Declension

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia es

Etymology

Borrowed 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

Noun

gas m (plural gases)

  1. gas (matter between liquid and plasma)
  2. gas (an element or compound in such a state)
  3. gas (flammable gas used for combustion)
  4. (in the plural) gas (waste gases trapped in one's belly)

Derived terms

Further reading

Anagrams

Swedish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Dutch gas.

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
  5. gas pedal, acceleration (compare gaspedal (gas pedal) and gasa (accelerate, hit the gas))
    trampa på gasen
    step on the gas
    full gas
    full throttle
    gasen i botten
    pedal to the metal
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From French gaze. Attested since 1670.

Noun

gas c

  1. (chiefly in compounds) gauze (thin fabric with a loose, open weave)
    1. (medicine) gauze
Declension
Derived terms

References

Anagrams

Tagalog

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Either from English gas, itself a clipping of gasoline, or a clipping of gasolina.

Alternative forms

Noun

gas (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜐ᜔)

  1. gasoline
    Synonym: gasolina
  2. kerosene; petroleum; gas
    Synonym: petrolyo
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Either from Spanish gas or English gas, ultimately from Dutch gas.

Noun

gas (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜐ᜔)

  1. gaseous substance; vapor; fume
    Synonyms: singaw, asngaw

Welsh

Pronunciation

Verb

gas

  1. Soft mutation of cas.

Mutation

Mutated forms of cas
radical soft nasal aspirate
cas gas nghas chas

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

West Frisian

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch gas.

Pronunciation

Noun

gas n (plural gassen)

  1. gas

Further reading

  • gas”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011