atmosphere
/ˈætməsˌfɪə/AT-muhs-fir
/ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/AT-muhs-fir
Meaninga ball of vapour
Common meaning: the air around the earth
Other meanings: mood
- atmoGreek element: vapour (atmos)
- spherround body, ballLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 1510 (approximate) · scan
‘vapour (atmos)’ + ‘round body, ball’ → atmosphere
Journey through time
- Greekσφαῖρα‘round body, ball’
- Englishatmosphere‘the air around the earth’ · today
spher also in: spheresphericalhemispherebathysphere
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek σφαῖρα ‘round body, ball’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry σφαῖρα, p. 1510 · dictionary scan
Roots
- σφαῖρα Greek “round body, ball”
Related words
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