 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Atmosphere \At"mos*phere\, noun [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 of any celestial orb, or other body; as, the atmosphere of Mars. (b) Any gaseous envelope or medium.
An atmosphere of cold oxygen. --Miller.
2. A supposed medium around various bodies; as, electrical atmosphere, a medium formerly supposed to surround electrical bodies. --Franklin.
3. The pressure or weight of the air at the sea level, on a unit of surface, or about 14.7 lbs. to the sq. inch.
Hydrogen was liquefied under a pressure of 650 atmospheres. --Lubbock.
4. Any surrounding or pervading influence or condition.
The chillest of social atmospheres. --Hawthorne.
5. The portion of air in any locality, or affected by a special physical or sanitary condition; as, the atmosphere of the room; a moist or noxious atmosphere.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
atmosphere
noun
1: a particular environment or surrounding influence; "there was an atmosphere of excitement" [syn: {ambiance}, {ambience}]
2: a unit of pressure: the pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 mm high at sea level and 0 degrees centigrade [syn: {standard atmosphere}, {atm}, {standard pressure}]
3: the mass of air surrounding the Earth; "there was great heat as the comet entered the atmosphere"; "it was exposed to the air" [syn: {air}]
4: the weather or climate at some place; "the atmosphere was thick with fog" [syn: {atmospheric state}]
5: the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body
6: a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; "an air of mystery"; "the house had a neglected air"; "an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate's headquarters"; "the place had an aura of romance" [syn: {air}, {aura}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
101 Moby Thesaurus words for "atmosphere": action, aerial, aerodynamics, aerosphere, air, ambience, ambient, anagnorisis, angle, architectonics, architecture, argument, arrangement, atmospheric, aura, background, balance, biosphere, brushwork, catastrophe, character, characteristic, characterization, climate, color, complication, composition, continuity, contrivance, denouement, design, development, device, draftsmanship, ecosphere, episode, fable, falling action, feel, feeling, flavor, fluid, gas, gaseous envelope, gimmick, grouping, halogen gas, impression, incident, individuality, inert gas, lift, line, local color, medium, milieu, mise-en-scene, mood, motif, movement, mythos, noosphere, note, overtone, painterliness, peculiarity, peripeteia, perspective, plan, plot, pneumatic, pneumatics, property, quality, recognition, rising action, scheme, secondary plot, semblance, sense, shading, shadow, slant, spirit, story, structure, subject, subplot, suggestion, surroundings, switch, technique, thematic development, theme, tone, topic, treatment, twist, undertone, values, welkin
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |