bi·o·sphere

[bahy-uh-sfeer]
noun
1.
the part of the earth's crust, waters, and atmosphere that supports life.
2.
the ecosystem comprising the entire earth and the living organisms that inhabit it.
Origin:
1895–1900; < German Biosphäre; see bio-, -sphere

Related forms
bi·o·spher·ic [bahy-uh-sfer-ik] , adjective

Can be confused: biosphere, ecology, ecosystem, environment, habitat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
biosphere (ˈbaɪəˌsfɪə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
the part of the earth's surface and atmosphere inhabited by living things

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Biosphere is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

biosphere
1899, on model of Ger. Biosphäre (1875), coined by Ger. geologist Eduard Suess (18311914), from bio- + sphere.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

biosphere bi·o·sphere (bī'ə-sfēr')
n.

  1. All the regions of the earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms are found or can live.

  2. The living organisms and their environment composing the biosphere.

bi'o·spher'ic (-sfēr'ĭk, -sfěr'-) adj.

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

  1. The parts of the land, sea, and atmosphere in which organisms are able to live. The biosphere is an irregularly shaped, relatively thin zone in which life is concentrated on or near the Earth's surface and throughout its waters.

  2. All the Earth's ecosystems considered as a single, self-sustaining unit.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
biosphere [(beye-uh-sfeer)]

The thin outer shell of the Earth and the inner layers of its atmosphere; the place where all living systems are found.

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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Example sentences
The problem that confronts us is that every living system in the biosphere is
  in decline and the rate of decline is accelerating.
Biodiversity really matters in our own species and in all the species of the
  biosphere.
Each species is an integral component of a biosphere to which we are
  inextricably connected.
The ticket, our biosphere and the organisms in it, have many clues.
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