sphere en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈsfɪj.ə/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /sfɪː/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- sfîr (US)
- /sfiɾ/ (Scotland)
- /sfɪɚ/ (US)
- /sfɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /sfɛː/ East Anglia, cheer–chair merger
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek σφαῖρᾰ (sphaîră)bor. Latin sphaera Late Latin sphērader. Old French spherebor. Middle English spere English sphere From Middle English spere, from Old French sphere, from Late Latin sphēra, earlier Latin sphaera (“ball, globe, celestial sphere”), from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα (sphaîra, “ball, globe”), of unknown origin. Not related to superficially similar Persian سپهر (sepehr, “sky”) . Displaced Old English cliewen, þoþor, and æppel.
Meanings
- A surface in three dimensions consisting of all points equidistant from a center. .
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An object which appears to be bounded by a sphere; a round object, a ball.
So your orientation changes a little bit but it sinks in that the world is a sphere, and you're going around it, sometimes under it, sideways, or over it.
2011 July 6, Piers Sellers, The Guardian:Of celestial bodies, first the sun, / A mighty sphere, he framed.
1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
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(archaic) The celestial sphere: the edge of the heavens, imagined as a hollow globe within which celestial bodies appear to be embedded.
Resistless rolls the illimitable sphere, / And one great circle forms the unmeasured year.
1791, Erasmus Darwin, The Economy of Vegetation, J. Johnson, page 190:Though cold and darkness longer hang somewhere, / Yet Phoebus equally lights all the Sphere.
1635, John Donne, His parting form her:
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(historical) Any of the concentric hollow transparent globes formerly believed to rotate around the Earth, and which carried the heavenly bodies; there were originally believed to be eight, and later nine and ten; friction between them was thought to cause a harmonious sound (the music of the spheres).
It is more simplicitie to teach our children[…][t]he knowledge of the starres, and the motion of the eighth spheare, before their owne.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 153:ſooner ſhall the Sun fall from his Spheare, Than Tamburlaine be ſlaine or ouercome.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:They understood not the motion of the eighth sphear from West to East, and so conceived the longitude of the Stars invariable.
1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, I.6:
- An area of activity for a planet; or by extension, an area of influence for a god, hero etc.
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(figuratively) The region in which something or someone is active; one's province, domain.
sphere of influence
...while his sweet and gentle niece would be a charming companion for Francesca; and he thought, with a glow of affection long unfelt, that Lucy Aylmer must inevitably make a friend whose future kindness might add much to her happiness. Both were at present placed out of their sphere: but the one would in all probability have it greatly in her power to cherish and aid the other.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVIII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 203:They thought – originally on grounds derived from religion – that each thing or person had its or his proper sphere, to overstep which is ‘unjust’.
1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.20:
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The natural, normal, or proper place (of something).
in one's sphere
- The set of all points in three-dimensional Euclidean space (or n-dimensional space, in topology) that are a fixed distance from a fixed point .
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(dated) The domain of reference of a proposition, subject, or predicate, or the totality of the particular subjects to which it applies.
Finally, the disjunctive judgment contains a relation of two or more propositions to each other—a relation not of consequence, but of logical opposition, in so far as the sphere of the one proposition excludes that of the other.
1900 [1781], Immanuel Kant, translated by J. M. D. Meiklejohn, Critique of Pure Reason, page 58:In point of fact, so often as we think a subject as partially included within the sphere of a predicate, eo ipso we think it as partially, that is, particularly, excluded therefrom.
a. 1856, William Hamilton, “Appendix III: Quantification of Predicate,—Immediate Inference,—Conversion,—Opposition”, in Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic, volume 2, published 1860, page 526:All categorical propositions necessarily imply the existence of their subjects in the appropriate sphere; in affirmative propositions this involves the existence of the predicate in the same sphere; but in negative propositions the predicate does not necessarily exist in that particular sphere, though it does in some sphere.
1896, James Welton, A Manual of Logic, 2nd edition, volume 1, page 213:
- A food preparation comprising a flavorful liquid treated by spherification to produce spheres.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sphære | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| sphaere | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| sphear | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| spheare | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| spheres | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
spheric · spherize · spheromak · spherocylindrical · spherite · sphere of knowledge · spherify · sphere of interest · spherics · spherium · semisphere · sphereing · spherelike · sphere of influence · sphere-yeast · sphery · sphereless · public sphere pedagogy · sphere packing · spherification
Hyponyms
servosphere · sublunary sphere · carposphere · orosphere · photon sphere · nanosphere · Laplace sphere · cryptosphere · circumsphere · peanosphere · ensphere · anthosphere · phycosphere · endosphere · skysphere · Bloch sphere · nephrosphere · conisphere · hypersphere · Debye sphere · incelosphere · memosphere · angiosphere · minisphere · Hill sphere · colonosphere · bronchosphere · oligosphere · microspherocyte · fold sphere · demisphere · spermosphere · tumorsphere · myosphere · amylosphere · hemisphere · nonsphere · unsphere · midsphere · cosmosphere · myrmecosphere · homology sphere · immunosphere · Dyson sphere · sociosphere · oblique sphere · hepatosphere · icosasphere · pseudosphere · intersphere · supersphere · Roche sphere · cosphere · negasphere · diving sphere · caulosphere · Alexander horned sphere · episphere · trochosphere · enterosphere · multisphere · colosphere · armillary sphere · macrosphere · polysphere · unit sphere · liposphere · astrosphere · digisphere · microsphere · Hubble sphere · fluorosphere · crystal sphere · medullosphere · esophagosphere · ectosphere · prostasphere · thyrosphere · undersphere · megalosphere · Riemann sphere · cardiosphere · halfsphere · radiansphere · xenosphere · pneumosphere · exotic sphere · Klerksdorp sphere · subsphere · Afrosphere
Relateds
spheroid · spherical · hemisphere · mul:S · -sphere · planisphere · atmosphere · magnetosphere · n-sphere
Synonyms
orb · area · orbit · sector · caviar · 2-sphere · field · element
Translations (272)
la sphaera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ba даирә (region in which something or someone is active) · nn kule (spherical physical object) · ca esfera (region in which something or someone is active) · da sfære (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · bn গোলক (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · az sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fr boule (spherical physical object) · uz shar (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ja 球 (spherical physical object) · tr küre (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sv sfär (region in which something or someone is active) · fi toimintapiiri (region in which something or someone is active) · nl omgeving (region in which something or someone is active) · kk доп (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · da kugle (spherical physical object) · tl timbulog (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ko 공 (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · id bola (spherical physical object) · be сфе́ра (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · de Bereich (region in which something or someone is active) · da kugle (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · es esfera (spherical physical object) · ga sféar (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ba сфера (spherical physical object) · gl esfera (spherical physical object) · el σφαίρα (historical, astronomy, mythology: any of the concentric globes formerly believed to rotate around the Earth) · fr sphère (region in which something or someone is active) · nl sfeer (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ja 分野 (region in which something or someone is active) · sh сфе́ра (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · mt isfera (spherical physical object) · ko 구체 (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ko 분야 (region in which something or someone is active) · sk guľa (spherical physical object) · tk sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · haw poepoe (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · kk сфера (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · pl sfera (region in which something or someone is active) · fi taivaankansi (historical, astronomy, mythology: any of the concentric globes formerly believed to rotate around the Earth) · kk шар (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · nl sfeer (region in which something or someone is active) · cs sféra (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fi pallo (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ko 구 (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · tr top (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ko 범위 (region in which something or someone is active) · pdt Kjreiss (spherical physical object) · enm spere (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fa-ira سِپِهْر (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · cs koule (spherical physical object) · sv krets (region in which something or someone is active) · eo sfero (region in which something or someone is active) · la globus (spherical physical object) · sv sfär (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · cmn 範圍 /范围 (region in which something or someone is active) · izh šaara (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · el σφαίρα (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · mi kōpio (spherical physical object) · ia sphera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · enm spere (historical, astronomy, mythology: any of the concentric globes formerly believed to rotate around the Earth) · ba сфера (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · la globus (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · he סְפֶרָה (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ru шар (spherical physical object) · da sfære (region in which something or someone is active) · ky сфера (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · cs kulová plocha (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · hi गोला (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · th ทรงกลม (spherical physical object) · nb sfære (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · tg кура (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sq sferë (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · pt esfera (region in which something or someone is active) · nn kule (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sh сфе́ра (region in which something or someone is active) · fi ala (region in which something or someone is active) · hu kör (region in which something or someone is active) · az şar (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · my နယ်ပယ် (region in which something or someone is active) · sk sféra (spherical physical object) · be сфэ́ра (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fa-ira سِپِهْر (spherical physical object) · ar فَلْكَة (spherical physical object) · eo sfero (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · vi mặt cầu (spherical physical object) · el σφαίρα (region in which something or someone is active) · ru шар (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ms sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sl krogla (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · be сфэ́ра (spherical physical object) · ast esfera (region in which something or someone is active) · ja 球体 (spherical physical object) · ga sféar (spherical physical object) · mi kōpio (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · kn ಗೋಳ (spherical physical object) · nn sfære (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · uk сфе́ра (spherical physical object) · hy գունդ (spherical physical object) · nb sfære (region in which something or someone is active) · mi poi (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ka სფერო (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ja 球体 (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ro sferă (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · is hnöttur (spherical physical object) · lv sfēra (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · prs گویْ (spherical physical object) · syc ܐܣܦܝܪܐ (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · it sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · lo ດວງ (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ka ბურთი (spherical physical object) · eo sfero (spherical physical object) · be сфе́ра (region in which something or someone is active) · eu esfera (spherical physical object) · tl spero (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · de Kugel (spherical physical object) · gl esfera (region in which something or someone is active) · ko 구체 (spherical physical object) · sv fack (region in which something or someone is active) · nb kule (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · cmn 球體 /球体 (spherical physical object) · bn গোলক (spherical physical object) · ja 範囲 (region in which something or someone is active) · ps غونډاری (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · th ทรงกลม (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · nl bereik (region in which something or someone is active) · ps پنډوس (spherical physical object) · sv sfär (spherical physical object) · enm spere (spherical physical object) · izh šaara (spherical physical object) · km គោល (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · de Kugel (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ru сфе́ра (spherical physical object) · sk sféra (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sq sferë (spherical physical object) · sv fält (region in which something or someone is active) · ru сфе́ра (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fr sphère (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · lt sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · bg сфе́ра (spherical physical object) · uz tup (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ca esfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · syc ܐܣܦܝܪܐ (spherical physical object) · bg сфе́ра (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · si ගෝලය (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ar كُرَة (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ro bilă (spherical physical object) · et kera (spherical physical object) · he תְּחוּם (region in which something or someone is active) · mk сфера (spherical physical object) · sh kúgla (spherical physical object) · sv glob (spherical physical object) · lv sfēra (region in which something or someone is active) · bg сфе́ра (region in which something or someone is active) · mi poi (spherical physical object) · sw mviringo (spherical physical object) · he סְפֶרָה (spherical physical object) · et sfäär (spherical physical object) · hi गोला (spherical physical object) · sh sféra (region in which something or someone is active) · nn sfære (region in which something or someone is active) · ps غونډاری (spherical physical object) · cy sffêr (spherical physical object) · te గోళము (spherical physical object) · uk сфе́ра (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ur گولا (spherical physical object) · ast esfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · eo sferoj (historical, astronomy, mythology: any of the concentric globes formerly believed to rotate around the Earth) · kn ಗೋಳ (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · lo ຄະດີ (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · es bola (spherical physical object) · sv kula (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · it sfera (region in which something or someone is active) · fi pallo (spherical physical object) · lv lode (spherical physical object) · eo globo (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · be сфэ́ра (region in which something or someone is active) · prs کُرَه (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · la ambitus (region in which something or someone is active) · tk şar (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ga réimse (region in which something or someone is active) · sl krogla (spherical physical object) · tr küre (spherical physical object) · vi mặt cầu (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · mk сфера (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · be сфе́ра (spherical physical object) · sv område (region in which something or someone is active) · it sfera (spherical physical object) · grc σφαῖρα (spherical physical object) · prs کُرَه (spherical physical object) · ms sfera (spherical physical object) · ur گولا (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · id bola (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · nb kule (spherical physical object) · el σφαίρα (spherical physical object) · te గోళము (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ja 球 (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fi alue (region in which something or someone is active) · nl bol (spherical physical object) · ru сфе́ра (region in which something or someone is active) · ro bol (spherical physical object) · es esfera (region in which something or someone is active) · et kera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · km គោចរ (region in which something or someone is active) · az kürə (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fa-ira گویْ (spherical physical object) · ang trendel (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ast esfera (spherical physical object) · mn бөмбөрцөг (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sv klot (spherical physical object) · fa-ira کُرِه (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ky шар (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · uz sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · pdt Baul (spherical physical object) · cmn 領域 /领域 (region in which something or someone is active) · ro sferă (spherical physical object) · ky бөмбөк (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · aii ܐܸܣܦܹܝܪܵܐ (spherical physical object) · ckb گۆ (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · my အလုံး (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sl sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · sv klass (region in which something or someone is active) · he כַּדּוּר (spherical physical object) · sl sfera (region in which something or someone is active) · nb sfære (spherical physical object) · cmn 球面 (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ang stede (region in which something or someone is active) · sv gebit (region in which something or someone is active) · hu gömb (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · fi pallopinta (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · lt rutulys (spherical physical object) · mn бөмбөрцөг (spherical physical object) · de Sphäre (region in which something or someone is active) · nn sfære (spherical physical object) · pl sfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ps پنډوس (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · hu hatáskör (region in which something or someone is active) · gl esfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ko 령역 (region in which something or someone is active) · uk сфе́ра (region in which something or someone is active) · ko 영역 (region in which something or someone is active) · fa-ira کُرِه (spherical physical object) · pt esfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ca esfera (spherical physical object) · az top (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · hu terület (region in which something or someone is active) · lt sfera (spherical physical object) · ang trendel (spherical physical object) · fr sphère (spherical physical object) · hy ասպարեզ (region in which something or someone is active) · es esfera (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · pt esfera (spherical physical object) · hy գունդ (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · vi quả cầu (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · is kúla (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · aii ܐܸܣܦܹܝܪܵܐ (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ja 領域 (region in which something or someone is active) · grc σφαῖρα (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · tr alan (region in which something or someone is active) · cs sféra (region in which something or someone is active) · sh sféra (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · nl kogel (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · hu gömb (spherical physical object) · pl sfera (spherical physical object) · he כַּדּוּר (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · pl obszar (region in which something or someone is active) · fi toiminta-alue (region in which something or someone is active) · lv sfēra (spherical physical object) · sh ку́гла (spherical physical object) · pdt Kjreiss (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · nl bol (mathematics: regular three-dimensional object) · ka სფერო (spherical physical object)