miasma

English

WOTD – 31 January 2007

Etymology

First attested in 1665. From Ancient Greek μίασμα (míasma, “stain; pollution”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /miˈæzmə/, /maɪˈæzmə/
• (US) enPR: mī-ăz'mə, mē- ăz'mə, IPA^(key): /maɪˈæzmə/, /miˈæzmə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æzmə
• Homophone: my asthma

Noun

miasma (plural miasmas or miasmata)

1. A noxious atmosphere or emanation once thought to originate from swamps and waste, and to cause disease.
   • 1897, Bram Stoker, “Jonathan Harker’s Journal”, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC, chapter XIX, page 276:

     There was an earthy smell, as of some dry miasma, which came through the fouler air.

2. (figurative) A noxious atmosphere or influence, an ominous environment.
   • 2020 September 15, Geoffrey Morrison, “aptX: Everything you need to know about the wireless Bluetooth enhancement”, in CNET‎^[1]:

     It was into this lossy compression miasma that aptX was born.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:miasma.

Related terms

• miasmatic

Translations

noxious emanation that originates from swamps and causes disease

• Bulgarian: изпарение (bg) n (izparenie)
• Czech: těžké/jedovaté výpary m pl
• Dutch: miasma (nl) n, miasme (nl) n, moerasdamp m
• Finnish: miasma (fi), paha ilma
• French: miasme (fr)
• Italian: miasma (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: miasme m

• Occitan: miasma m
• Polish: wyziew (pl) m
• Portuguese: miasma (pt) m
• Spanish: miasma (es)
• Turkish: miyasma (tr)

noxious atmosphere or influence; ominous environment

• Bulgarian: миазма f (miazma)
• Catalan: miasma m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瘴氣／瘴气 (zh) (zhàngqì)

• Czech: tíživá atmosféra
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: miasma (nl) n, miasme (nl) n, verpeste atmosfeer
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: myrkyllinen ilmapiiri; pahaenteinen tunnelma
• French: miasme (fr) m
• Galician: miasma m
• German: Miasma (de) n
• Greek: μίασμα (el) n (míasma)
• Italian: miasma (it) m
• Japanese: 瘴気 (ja) (しょうき, shōki), 毒素 (ja) (dokuso)
• Khmer: ជាបរិយាកាសដែលធ្វើឲ្យខូច (pa’re’yaakaah dael tvəə aoy kʰooc)
• Korean: 장기(瘴氣) (ko) (janggi), 장독(瘴毒) (jangdok)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: miasme m

• Occitan: miasma m
• Polish: miazmat (pl) m
• Portuguese: miasma (pt) m
• Romanian: miasmă (ro) f
• Russian: миа́зм (ru) m (miázm), миа́зма (ru) f (miázma)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: miasma (es)
• Turkish: miyasma (tr)
• Vietnamese: chướng khí

See also

• malaria

Further reading

• miasma theory on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• miasma (Greek mythology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Masami, imaams

Dutch

Etymology

First attested in 1778. Borrowed from New Latin miasma, from Ancient Greek μίασμα (míasma, “stain, pollution”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmiˈɑs.maː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mi‧as‧ma
• Rhymes: -ɑsmaː

Noun

miasma n (plural miasmata or miasma's, diminutive miasmaatje n)

1. miasma (noxious atmosphere or influence)
2. (medicine, historical) miasma (emanation from rotting organic matter causing diseases)

Derived terms

• miasmatisch

Finnish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μίασμα (míasma, “stain, pollution”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmiɑsmɑ/, [ˈmiɑ̝s̠mɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -iɑsmɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): mi‧as‧ma

Noun

miasma

1. miasma (noxious atmosphere from swamps)

Declension

Inflection of miasma (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)
nominative		miasma	miasmat
genitive		miasman	miasmoiden miasmoitten miasmojen
partitive		miasmaa	miasmoita miasmoja
illative		miasmaan	miasmoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		miasma	miasmat
accusative	nom.	miasma	miasmat
	gen.	miasman
genitive		miasman	miasmoiden miasmoitten miasmojen miasmain rare
partitive		miasmaa	miasmoita miasmoja
inessive		miasmassa	miasmoissa
elative		miasmasta	miasmoista
illative		miasmaan	miasmoihin
adessive		miasmalla	miasmoilla
ablative		miasmalta	miasmoilta
allative		miasmalle	miasmoille
essive		miasmana	miasmoina
translative		miasmaksi	miasmoiksi
abessive		miasmatta	miasmoitta
instructive		—	miasmoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of miasma (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative miasmani miasmani accusative nom. miasmani miasmani gen. miasmani genitive miasmani miasmoideni miasmoitteni miasmojeni miasmaini rare partitive miasmaani miasmoitani miasmojani inessive miasmassani miasmoissani elative miasmastani miasmoistani illative miasmaani miasmoihini adessive miasmallani miasmoillani ablative miasmaltani miasmoiltani allative miasmalleni miasmoilleni essive miasmanani miasmoinani translative miasmakseni miasmoikseni abessive miasmattani miasmoittani instructive — — comitative — miasmoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative miasmasi miasmasi accusative nom. miasmasi miasmasi gen. miasmasi genitive miasmasi miasmoidesi miasmoittesi miasmojesi miasmaisi rare partitive miasmaasi miasmoitasi miasmojasi inessive miasmassasi miasmoissasi elative miasmastasi miasmoistasi illative miasmaasi miasmoihisi adessive miasmallasi miasmoillasi ablative miasmaltasi miasmoiltasi allative miasmallesi miasmoillesi essive miasmanasi miasmoinasi translative miasmaksesi miasmoiksesi abessive miasmattasi miasmoittasi instructive — — comitative — miasmoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative miasmamme miasmamme accusative nom. miasmamme miasmamme gen. miasmamme genitive miasmamme miasmoidemme miasmoittemme miasmojemme miasmaimme rare partitive miasmaamme miasmoitamme miasmojamme inessive miasmassamme miasmoissamme elative miasmastamme miasmoistamme illative miasmaamme miasmoihimme adessive miasmallamme miasmoillamme ablative miasmaltamme miasmoiltamme allative miasmallemme miasmoillemme essive miasmanamme miasmoinamme translative miasmaksemme miasmoiksemme abessive miasmattamme miasmoittamme instructive — — comitative — miasmoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative miasmanne miasmanne accusative nom. miasmanne miasmanne gen. miasmanne genitive miasmanne miasmoidenne miasmoittenne miasmojenne miasmainne rare partitive miasmaanne miasmoitanne miasmojanne inessive miasmassanne miasmoissanne elative miasmastanne miasmoistanne illative miasmaanne miasmoihinne adessive miasmallanne miasmoillanne ablative miasmaltanne miasmoiltanne allative miasmallenne miasmoillenne essive miasmananne miasmoinanne translative miasmaksenne miasmoiksenne abessive miasmattanne miasmoittanne instructive — — comitative — miasmoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative miasmansa miasmansa accusative nom. miasmansa miasmansa gen. miasmansa genitive miasmansa miasmoidensa miasmoittensa miasmojensa miasmainsa rare partitive miasmaansa miasmoitaan miasmojaan miasmoitansa miasmojansa inessive miasmassaan miasmassansa miasmoissaan miasmoissansa elative miasmastaan miasmastansa miasmoistaan miasmoistansa illative miasmaansa miasmoihinsa adessive miasmallaan miasmallansa miasmoillaan miasmoillansa ablative miasmaltaan miasmaltansa miasmoiltaan miasmoiltansa allative miasmalleen miasmallensa miasmoilleen miasmoillensa essive miasmanaan miasmanansa miasmoinaan miasmoinansa translative miasmakseen miasmaksensa miasmoikseen miasmoiksensa abessive miasmattaan miasmattansa miasmoittaan miasmoittansa instructive — — comitative — miasmoineen miasmoinensa

Italian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μίασμα (míasma, “stain, pollution”).

Noun

miasma m (plural miasmi)

1. miasma

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin miasma, from Ancient Greek μίασμα (míasma, “pollution”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /miˈaz.mɐ/ [mɪˈaz.mɐ], (faster pronunciation) /ˈmjaz.mɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /miˈaz.mɐ/ [mɪˈaz.mɐ], (faster pronunciation) /ˈmjaz.mɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /miˈaʒ.mɐ/ [mɪˈaʒ.mɐ], (faster pronunciation) /ˈmjaʒ.mɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /miˈaz.ma/ [mɪˈaz.ma], (faster pronunciation) /ˈmjaz.ma/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmjaʒ.mɐ/

Noun

miasma m (plural miasmas)

1. miasma (noxious atmosphere or influence)
2. (medicine, historical) miasma (noxious emanation from swamps that was thought to cause diseases)

Related terms

• miasmático

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmjasma/ [ˈmjaz.ma]
• Rhymes: -asma
• Syllabification: mias‧ma

Noun

miasma m (plural miasmas)

1. miasma

Further reading

• “miasma”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28