Atmosphere

How to spell atmosphere

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce atmosphere

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does atmosphere mean?

1. nounThe envelope of gases surrounding a planet, especially the air around the Earth.
2. nounThe overall mood or feeling that surrounds a place or situation.

Atmosphere in a sentence

• Carbon emissions are steadily warming the atmosphere.

• The candlelit restaurant had a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.

• The spacecraft burned brightly as it re-entered the atmosphere.

• Tension in the office created a strained atmosphere all week.

Where does atmosphere come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word was assembled by 17th-century scientists from two Greek pieces: atmos, meaning 'vapour' or 'steam', and sphaira, meaning 'ball' or 'globe'. The combined Modern Latin form atmosphaera literally described the 'ball of vapour' that surrounds the Earth, and it entered English in the 1630s as astronomers began thinking seriously about the layer of air wrapping the planet. The same sphaira root sits inside everyday words like 'sphere' and 'hemisphere', which is a useful reminder that atmosphere ends in -sphere, not -spear. By the 1800s the word had drifted into a figurative sense, describing the surrounding mood or feeling of a place, much as air surrounds the body. The unstressed middle syllable, written -mos-, is the spot writers most often fumble, since it sounds like a vague 'muss' rather than the clear 'mos' the spelling demands.

How the word is built

• atmo- (from Greek atmos: vapour, steam)
• sphere (from Greek sphaira: ball, globe)