miasma

noun

mi·​as·​ma mī-ˈaz-mə How to pronounce miasma (audio)
mē-
plural miasmas also miasmata mī-ˈaz-mə-tə How to pronounce miasma (audio)
mē-
1
: a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease
also : a heavy vaporous emanation (see emanation sense 2) or atmosphere
a miasma of tobacco smoke
2
: an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt
freed from the miasma of povertySir Arthur Bryant
the enervating miasma of fearThe Times Literary Supplement (London)
also : an atmosphere that obscures : fog
miasmal adjective
miasmatic adjective
miasmic adjective
miasmically adverb

Did you know?

In notes taken during a voyage to South America on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, Charles Darwin described an illness that he believed was caused by "miasma" emanating from stagnant pools of water. For him, miasma had the same meaning that it did when it first appeared in English in the 1600s: an emanation of a vaporous disease-causing substance. (Miasma comes from Greek miainein, meaning "to pollute.") But while Darwin was at sea, broader applications of miasma were starting to spread. Nowadays, we know germs are the source of infection, so we're more likely to use the newer, more figurative sense of miasma, which refers to something destructive or demoralizing that surrounds or permeates.

Examples of miasma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1776, and for a century afterward, many illnesses were believed to be caused by miasma, or foul-smelling vapors arising from swamps, excrement, polluted water, and the habitations of the poor. David Owen, The New Yorker, 27 July 2024 Translation: cigarette smoke, vape trails and that noxious miasma from your beloved, 50-ring Cuban cigar will undoubtedly induce a wave of nausea across a wide swath of the beach. Steve Cambria, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2024 In the second half of the nineteenth century, though, anxieties about miasma began to be displaced by their virtual opposite: faith in the therapeutic value of keeping windows open. David Owen, The New Yorker, 27 July 2024 For weeks, the party has been lost in a miasma of gloom at the prospect that Trump could win and the GOP could end up with control of both chambers of Congress. Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, 22 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for miasma 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miasma.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek, defilement, from miainein to pollute

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of miasma was in 1665

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Dictionary Entries Near miasma

Cite this Entry

“Miasma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miasma. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

miasma

noun
mi·​as·​ma mī-ˈaz-mə How to pronounce miasma (audio)
mē-
plural miasmas or miasmata -mət-ə How to pronounce miasma (audio)
1
: a vapor from a swamp formerly believed to cause disease
2
: a harmful influence or atmosphere
miasmal adjective
miasmatic adjective

Medical Definition

miasma

noun
mi·​as·​ma mī-ˈaz-mə How to pronounce miasma (audio) mē- How to pronounce miasma (audio)
plural miasmas also miasmata -mət-ə How to pronounce miasma (audio)
: a vaporous exhalation (as of a marshy region or of putrescent matter) formerly believed to cause disease (as malaria)
miasmal adjective
miasmatic adjective
miasmic adjective
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