miasma
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American Heritage Dictionary (3 definitions)

    –noun
  1. A noxious atmosphere or influence: "The family affection, the family expectations, seemed to permeate the atmosphere . . . like a coiling miasma” ( Louis Auchincloss).
  2. A poisonous atmosphere formerly thought to rise from swamps and putrid matter and cause disease.
  3. A thick vaporous atmosphere or emanation: wreathed in a miasma of cigarette smoke.

Century Dictionary (1 definition)

    –noun
  1. The emanations or effluvia arising from the ground and floating in the atmosphere, considered to be infectious or otherwise injurious to health; noxious emanations; malaria. Also called aërial poison.

View all » Examples

  • "Some miasma from the demons must have gotten into her," he said, breathless as he hadn't been with arrow fire raining over him.
  • It's this damn New England rain miasma we've been stuck in for 40 days and 40 nights.
  • At least, he thought the thin miasma of order-bounded chaos around the lord justicer was frustration.
    —Ordermaster
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Pronunciations
/(mī-ăzˈmə, mē-)/
ahd pronounces "miasma"
by American Heritage Dictionary

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Etymology

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Greek, pollution, stain, from miainein, to pollute.
 

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Miasma has been looked up 1,003 times, favorited 13 times, listed 183 times, commented on 10 times, and has a Scrabble score of 10.

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Phrases containing miasma