ether
ether — 名詞
1. A clear liquid with a strong smell that burns very easily, used by doctors in th
乙醚
過去用作麻醉劑的液體
A clear liquid with a strong smell that burns very easily, used by doctors in the past to make patients fall asleep and feel no pain during an operation.
Dr. Marco placed a cloth soaked in ether over the patient's nose before starting the surgery.
Marco 醫生在開始手術前，將一塊浸過乙醚的布蓋在病人的鼻子上。
soaked in ether — method of administration
In the 1840s, ether let surgeons like Dr. Diego operate on patients who felt no pain at all.
在 1840 年代，乙醚讓 Diego 醫師這樣的醫生能在病人完全沉睡且毫無痛感的情況下進行手術。
The hospital stored ether in dark glass bottles because heat and sunlight could cause the liquid to catch fire.
醫院將乙醚存放在深色玻璃瓶裡，因為高溫和陽光可能導致這種液體起火燃燒。
Nurses in the 1800s kept ether away from any open flame in the operating room.
1800 年代的護士會讓乙醚遠離手術室中的任何明火。
Lisa read that soldiers in the American Civil War received ether before having a leg amputated.
Lisa 讀到美國南北戰爭期間，士兵在接受腿部截肢之前會先吸入乙醚。
- anaesthetic
broader term for any substance that causes loss of feeling; ether is one specific type of anaesthetic
文法句型
ether + verb (as subject)
ether as object of preposition (under ether)
用法筆記
Now replaced by safer modern anaesthetics; you will mainly encounter this sense in historical descriptions of early surgery.
2. An invisible space through which radio waves, television signals, and other elec
電波；天空
無線電波傳送的介質
An invisible space through which radio waves, television signals, and other electronic messages travel from one place to another — often used in the phrase 'through the ether' to describe broadcasting.
Radio waves carrying news and music travel through the ether to reach cars and homes across the country.
承載著新聞和音樂的無線電波穿過天空，傳送到全國各地的汽車和家庭中。
through the ether — route of broadcast transmission
Hannah imagined her own voice floating through the ether all the way to her grandmother's kitchen radio.
Hannah 想像著自己的聲音飄過空中，一路傳到祖母廚房裡的收音機。
Early television pioneers believed they were sending live images through the ether directly into people's living rooms.
早期的電視先驅認為，他們正經由空中將即時影像直接傳送到人們的客廳。
Long before the internet, voices and music already flew through the ether between continents.
早在網際網路出現之前，聲音與音樂就已經穿過天空在大洲之間傳遞。
文法句型
through the ether
across the ether
over the ether
用法筆記
This sense is slightly old-fashioned or poetic. In everyday English, 'the airwaves' or 'the air' is more common (e.g. 'the show is on the air').
3. A type of chemical compound in which two carbon-based molecular groups are conne
醚
氧原子連接兩個碳基的有機化合物
A type of chemical compound in which two carbon-based molecular groups are connected by a single oxygen atom; ethers are widely used as solvents and as ingredients in the production of other chemicals.
In the lab, Meera identified an ether by looking for an oxygen atom between two carbon chains.
在實驗室裡，Meera 藉由尋找兩個碳鏈之間的氧原子來識別一種醚。
identify an ether by oxygen between carbon chains
Diethyl ether, a common solvent, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as ethers.
乙醚是一種常見的溶劑，屬於被稱為醚類的有機化合物。
The chemistry textbook explained that an ether forms when two alcohol molecules lose a water molecule between them.
化學教科書解釋說，當兩個醇分子之間脫去一個水分子時，就形成了醚。
Bao learned in lab that ether compounds smell quite sweet compared to other solvents.
Bao 在實驗課上學到，醚類化合物聞起來比許多其他溶劑要甜。
文法句型
ether as a general class (uncountable)
an ether (countable compound)
用法筆記
Uncountable when talking about the class as a whole ('ether is a functional group'); countable when referring to individual compounds ('several ethers were tested').