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Definition of miasma noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

miasma

noun
 
/miˈæzmə/,
 
/maɪˈæzmə/
 
/miˈæzmə/,
 
/maɪˈæzmə/
[countable, usually singular, uncountable] (literary)
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  1. a mass of air that is dirty and smells unpleasant
    • A miasma of stale alcohol hung around him.
    • (figurative) the miasma of depression
    Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Greek, literally ‘defilement’, from miainein ‘pollute’.
See miasma in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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