atmosphere

atmosphere
atmosphere 1630s, atmosphaera (modern form from 1670s), from Mod.L. atmosphaera, from atmo-, comb. form of Gk. atmos "vapor, steam" + spharia "sphere" (see SPHERE (Cf. sphere)). Greek atmos is from PIE *awet-mo-, from root *wet- "to blow, inspire, spiritually arouse" (see WOOD (Cf. wood) (adj.)). First used in English in connection with the Moon, which, as it turns out, doesn't have one.
It is observed in the solary eclipses, that there is sometimes a great trepidation about the body of the moon, from which we may likewise argue an atmosphaera, since we cannot well conceive what so probable a cause there should be of such an appearance as this, Quod radii solares a vaporibus lunam ambitntibus fuerint intercisi, that the sun-beams were broken and refracted by the vapours that encompassed the moon. [Rev. John Wilkins, "Discovery of New World or Discourse tending to prove that it probable there may be another World in the Moon," 1638]
Figurative sense of "surrounding influence, mental or moral environment" is c.1800.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • ATMOSPHÈRE — Dérivé du grec 見精猪礼﨟 (vapeur) et 靖﨏見晴福見 (sphère), le mot «atmosphère» désigne l’enveloppe essentiellement gazeuse qui entoure le globe terrestre. D’autres corps célestes ont également une atmosphère. L’atmosphère est un fluide en mouvement. Les… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Atmosphere — Atmosphère Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom …   Wikipédia en Français

  • atmosphere — 1 *air, ether, ozone 2 Atmosphere, feeling, feel, aura denote an intangible and usually unanalyzable quality or aggregate of qualities which gives something an individual and distinctly recognizable character. Atmosphere is used chiefly in… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Atmosphere — At mos*phere, n. [Gr. ? vapor (akin to Skr. [=a]tman breath, soul, G. athem breath) + ? sphere: cf. F. atmosph[ e]re. See {Sphere}.] 1. (Physics) (a) The whole mass of a[ e]riform fluid surrounding the earth; applied also to the gaseous envelope… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Atmosphère B&B — (Монреаль,Канада) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: 1933 Rue Panet, H2L 3A1 Монреаль, Канада …   Каталог отелей

  • atmosphere — I noun air, airspace, ambience, aura, background, circumambience, climate, climatic condition, element, environing influence, environment, medium, milieu, mood, setting, space, surroundings, weather associated concepts: clouding the atmosphere,… …   Law dictionary

  • atmosphere — [at′məs fir΄] n. [ModL atmosphaera < Gr atmos, vapor + sphaira, sphere] 1. the gaseous envelope (air) surrounding the earth to a height of c. 1,000 km ( c. 621 mi): it is c. 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% other gases, and rotates with the… …   English World dictionary

  • atmosphère — ATMOSPHÈRE. subst. f. La masse d air qui environne la terre, et où se forment les météores. L Atmosphère est tantôt plus, tantôt moins chargée de vapeurs …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • atmosphere — [n1] gases around the earth air, envelope, heavens, pressure, sky, substratosphere, troposphere; concept 437 atmosphere [n2] general feeling or mood air, ambience, aura, background, character, climate, color, environment, feel, feeling, flavor,… …   New thesaurus

  • atmosphere — Atmosphere. s. m. La partie de l air qui environne la terre, & où se forment les meteores. Les vapeurs s élevent dans nostre atmosphere …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Atmosphere — Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Hip Hop, Rap Gründung 1994 Website rhymesaye …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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