# vaporous

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈveɪpəɹəs/

## Definitions
1. Of or relating to vapour; also, having the characteristics or consistency of vapour.
2. Breathing out or giving off vapour.
3. Of a place: filled with vapour; foggy, misty.
4. Of a thing: covered or hidden by vapour, fog, or mist.
5. Lacking depth or substance; insubstantial, thoughtless, vague.
6. Of clothes or fabric: thin and translucent; filmy, gauzy.
7. Feeling melancholy; experiencing the vapors.

## Etymology
From Middle English vaporous, from Late Latin vapōrōsus (“full of steam”), from Latin vapor (“exhalation; smoke; steam, vapour”) (possibly related to Proto-Indo-European *kwep- (“to boil; to smoke, steam; aroma; strong odour”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, overly, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns). The English word is analysable as vapour + -ous. Possibly a doublet of hope.
Cognates
* French vaporeux (“misty, vaporous; filmy, transparent”)
* Italian vaporoso (“flimsy, gauzy; fluffy; vaporous”)
* Portuguese vaporoso
* Spanish vaporoso (“airy; vaporous”)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/vaporous