Vaporous
/ˈveɪ.pər.əs/noun
Consisting of, resembling, or filled with vapor; insubstantial or hazy.
Did you know?In early modern medicine, “the vapors” were believed to cause emotional or nervous disorders, especially in women, long before modern psychiatric explanations emerged.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European (proposed)
PIE
*wēp-
“To emit vapor or blow; a proposed ancestral root, though the deeper origin is uncertain.”
Classical Latin
Latin
vapor
“Steam, vapor, heat, or warm exhalation.”
Late Latin
Latin
vaporosus
“Full of vapor; steaming or misty.”
Middle English
Anglo-French
vapourous
“Containing or resembling vapor.”
16th Century
English
vaporous
“Misty, steaming, or arising as an exhalation; later also figuratively insubstantial.”
Modern English
English
vaporous
“Hazy, insubstantial, or composed of vapor.”