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ATMOSPHERE

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at⋅mos⋅phere

  [at-muhs-feer] noun, verb, -phered, -pher⋅ing.
Use ATMOSPHERE in a Sentence
–noun
1. the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.
2. this medium at a given place.
3. Astronomy. the gaseous envelope surrounding a heavenly body.
4. Chemistry. any gaseous envelope or medium.
5. a conventional unit of pressure, the normal pressure of the air at sea level, about 14.7 pounds per square inch (101.3 kilopascals), equal to the pressure exerted by a column of mercury 29.92 in. (760 mm) high. Abbreviation: atm.
6. a surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence: an atmosphere of impending war; a very tense atmosphere.
7. the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel: the chilly atmosphere of a ghost story.
8. a distinctive quality, as of a place; character: The old part of town has lots of atmosphere.
–verb (used with object)
9. to give an atmosphere to: The author had cleverly atmosphered the novel for added chills.
Origin:
1630–40; < NL atmosphaera. See atmo-, -sphere

Related forms:
at⋅mos⋅phere⋅less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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at·mos·phere   (āt'mə-sfîr')   


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n.  

  1. The gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body, especially the one surrounding the earth, and retained by the celestial body's gravitational field.

  2. The air or climate in a specific place.

  3. Abbr. atm Physics A unit of pressure equal to the air pressure at sea level. It equals the amount of pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 millimeters high at 0 degrees Celsius under standard gravity, or 14.7 pounds per square inch (1.01325 × 105 pascals). See Table at measurement.

  4. A dominant intellectual or emotional environment or attitude: an atmosphere of distrust among the electorate.

  5. The dominant tone or mood of a work of art.

  6. An aesthetic quality or effect, especially a distinctive and pleasing one, associated with a particular place: a restaurant with an Old World atmosphere.


[New Latin atmosphaera : Greek atmos, vapor; see wet-1 in Indo-European roots + Latin sphaera, sphere; see sphere.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

atmosphere

The blanket of gas on the surface of a planet or satellite.

Note: The atmosphere of the Earth is roughly eighty percent nitrogen and twenty percent oxygen, with traces of other gases. (See ionosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

atmosphere 
1638, from Mod.L. atmosphaera (1638), from Gk. atmos "vapor" + spharia "sphere." First used in Eng. in connection with the Moon, which, as it turns out, doesn't have one. Figurative sense of "surrounding influence, mental or moral environment" is 1797.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: at·mo·sphere
Pronunciation: 'at-m&-"sfi(&)r
Function: noun
1 : the whole mass of air surrounding the earth
2 : the air of a locality
3 : a unit of pressure equal to the pressure of the air at sea level or to 101,325 pascals or to approximately 14.7 pounds per square inch —at·mo·spher·ic /"at-m&-'sfi(&)r-ik, -'sfer-/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

atmosphere at·mos·phere (āt'mə-sfǐr')
n.

  1. A gas surrounding a given body; a gaseous medium.


  2. Abbr. atm, atm. A unit of pressure equal to the air pressure at sea level, approximately equal to 1.01325 × 105 newtons per square meter.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
atmosphere   (āt'mə-sfîr')  Pronunciation Key 


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  1. The mixture of gases surrounding the Earth or other celestial body, held in place by gravity. It forms distinct layers at different heights. The Earth's atmosphere consists, in ascending order, of the troposphere (containing 90% of the atmosphere's mass), the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere. The atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) and plays a major role in the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle. See more at exosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, thermosphere, troposphere.

  2. A unit of pressure equal to the pressure of the air at sea level, about 14.7 pounds per square inch, or 1,013 millibars.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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