From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ethereal \E*the"re*al\, a.
1. Pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the
higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere;
celestial; as, ethereal space; ethereal regions.
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Go, heavenly guest, ethereal messenger. --Milton.
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2. Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy;
tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as
form, manner, thought, etc.
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Vast chain of being, which from God began,
Natures ethereal, human, angel, man. --Pope.
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3. (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or resembling, ether;
as, ethereal salts.
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{Ethereal oil}. (Chem.) See {Essential oil}, under
{Essential}.
{Ethereal oil of wine} (Chem.), a heavy, yellow, oily liquid
consisting essentially of etherin, etherol, and ethyl
sulphate. It is the oily residuum left after
etherification. Called also {heavy oil of wine}
(distinguished from oil of wine, or [oe]nanthic ether).
{Ethereal salt} (Chem.), a salt of some organic radical as a
base; an ester.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
ethereal
adj 1: characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as
impalpable or intangible as air; "figures light and
aeriform come unlooked for and melt away"- Thomas
Carlyle; "aerial fancies"; "an airy apparition";
"physical rather than ethereal forms" [syn: {aeriform},
{aerial}, {airy}, {aery}, {ethereal}]
2: of or containing or dissolved in ether; "ethereal solution"
3: of heaven or the spirit; "celestial peace"; "ethereal
melodies"; "the supernal happiness of a quiet death" [syn:
{celestial}, {ethereal}, {supernal}]
4: characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy; "this
smallest and most ethereal of birds"; "gossamer shading
through his playing" [syn: {ethereal}, {gossamer}]
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