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globe

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globe

[glohb] noun, verb, globed, glob⋅ing.
–noun
1. the planet Earth (usually prec. by the).
2. a planet or other celestial body.
3. a sphere on which is depicted a map of the earth (terrestrial globe) or of the heavens (celestial globe).
4. a spherical body; sphere.
5. anything more or less spherical, as a lampshade or a glass fishbowl.
6. a golden ball traditionally borne as an emblem of sovereignty; orb.
–verb (used with object)
7. to form into a globe.
–verb (used without object)
8. to take the form of a globe.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME < MF globe < L globus round body, ball, sphere


globelike, adjective


1. See earth.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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globe   (glōb)   
n.  
  1. A body with the shape of a sphere, especially a representation of the earth in the form of a hollow ball.

    1. The earth.

    2. A planet.

  2. A spherical or bowllike container, especially a glass cover for a light bulb.

  3. A sphere emblematic of sovereignty; an orb.

intr. & tr.v.   globed, glob·ing, globes
To assume the shape of or form into a sphere.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin globus.]
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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Word Origin & History

globe 
1551, "sphere," from L. globus "round mass, sphere," related to gleba "clod, soil, land." Sense of "planet earth," or a three-dimensional map of it first attested 1553. Globalization first attested 1959. Global village first attested 1960, popularized, if not coined, by Canadian educator Marshall McLuhan (1911-80).
"Postliterate man's electronic media contract the world to a village or tribe where everything happens to everyone at the same time: everyone knows about, and therefore participates in, everything that is happening the minute it happens. Television gives this quality of simultaneity to events in the global village." [Carpenter & McLuhan, "Explorations in Communication," 1960]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: globe
Pronunciation: 'glOb
Function: noun
: EYEBALL
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
GLOBE
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

globe

sphere or ball that bears a map of the Earth on its surface and is mounted on an axle that permits rotation. The ancient Greeks, who knew the Earth to be a sphere, were the first to use globes to represent the surface of the Earth. Crates of Mallus is said to have made one in about 150 BC. The earliest surviving terrestrial globe was made in Nurnberg in 1492 by Martin Behaim, who almost undoubtedly influenced Christopher Columbus to attempt to sail west to the Orient. In ancient times, globes also were used to represent the constellations; the earliest surviving globe is the marble Farnese globe, a celestial globe dating from about AD 25

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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