–noun

1.	a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and minute amounts of other gases that surrounds the earth and forms its atmosphere.

2.	a stir in the atmosphere; a light breeze.

3.	overhead space; sky: The planes filled the air.

4.	circulation; publication; publicity: to give air to one's theories.

5.	the general character or complexion of anything; appearance: His early work had an air of freshness and originality.

6.	the peculiar look, appearance, and bearing of a person: There is an air of mystery about him.

7.	airs, affected or unnatural manner; manifestation of pride or vanity; assumed haughtiness: He acquired airs that were insufferable to his friends.

8.	Music. a. a tune; melody. b. the soprano or treble part. c. an aria. d. Also, ayre. an Elizabethan art song.

9.	aircraft as a means of transportation: to arrive by air; to ship goods by air.

10.	Informal. air conditioning or an air-conditioning system: The price includes tires, radio, and air.

11.	Radio. the medium through which radio waves are transmitted.

12. 78

Archaic. breath.

–verb (used with object)

13.	to expose to the air; give access to the open air; ventilate (often fol. by out): We air the bedrooms every day.

14.	to expose ostentatiously; bring to public notice; display: to air one's opinions; to air one's theories.

15.	to broadcast or televise.

–verb (used without object)

16.	to be exposed to the open air (often fol. by out): Open the window and let the room air out. ed2

17.	to be broadcast or televised.

–adjective

18.	operating by means of air pressure or by acting upon air: an air drill; an air pump.

19.	of or pertaining to aircraft or to aviation: air industry.

20.	taking place in the air; aerial: air war.

—Idioms

21.	clear the air, to eliminate dissension, ambiguity, or tension from a discussion, situation, etc.: The staff meeting was intended to help clear the air.

22.	get the air, Informal. a. to be rejected, as by a lover. b. to be dismissed, as by an employer: He had worked only a few days when he got the air.

23.	give (someone) the air, Informal. a. to reject, as a lover: He was bitter because she gave him the air. b. to dismiss, as an employee.

24.	in the air, in circulation; current: There's a rumor in the air that we're moving to a new location.

25.	into thin air, completely out of sight or reach: He vanished into thin air.

26.	off the air, a. not broadcasting: The station goes off the air at midnight. b. not broadcast; out of operation as a broadcast: The program went off the air years ago. c. (of a computer) not in operation.

27.	on the air, a. in the act of broadcasting; being broadcast: The program will be going on the air in a few seconds. b. (of a computer) in operation.

28.	put on airs, to assume an affected or haughty manner: < bf8 span class="ital-inline">As their fortune increased, they began to put on airs.

29.	take the air, a. to go out-of-doors; take a short walk or ride. b. Slang. to leave, esp. hurriedly. c. to begin broadcasting.

30.	up in the air, a. Also, in the air. undecided or unsettled: The contract is still up in the air. b. Informal. angry; perturbed: There is no need to get up in the air over a simple mistake.

31.	walk or tread on air, to feel very happy; be elated.

–noun Psychol 3e8 ogy.

1.	Also called operant conditioning, instrumental conditioning. a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress.

2.

Also called classical conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning, respondent conditioning. a pro ed2 cess in which a stimulus that was previously neutral, as the sound of a bell, comes to evoke a particular response, as salivation, by being repeatedly paired with another stimulus that normally evokes the response, as the taste of food.