Aether theories in
physics propose the existence of a medium, the
aether (also spelled
ether, from the Greek word , meaning "upper air" or "pure, fresh air"), a space-filling substance or field, thought to be necessary as a
transmission medium for the propagation of electromagnetic or gravitational forces. The assorted
aether theories embody the various conceptions of this "
medium" and "
substance". This
early modern aether has little in common with the
aether of classical elements from which the name was borrowed. Since the development of
special relativity, theories using a substantial aether fell out of use in
modern physics, and were replaced by more abstract models.