sphere

sphere

 (sfĭr)

n.

1. Mathematics A three-dimensional surface, all points of which are equidistant from a fixed point.

2. A spherical object or figure.

3. A celestial body, such as a planet or star.

4. The sky, appearing as a hemisphere to an observer: the sphere of the heavens.

5. Any of a series of concentric, transparent, revolving globes that together were once thought to contain the moon, sun, planets, and stars.

6.

a. A range or extent of knowledge, interest, or activity: a problem that falls within the sphere of biophysics. See Synonyms at field.

b. A social level or part of society or group: knew few people beyond his partner's sphere.

c. A range of power or influence: within the sphere of the empire.

tr.v. sphered, spher·ing, spheres

1. To form into a sphere.

2. To put in or within a sphere.

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[Middle English spere, from Old French espere, from Latin sphaera, from Greek sphaira.]

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sphe·ric′i·ty (sfî-rĭs′ĭ-tē) n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sphere

(sfɪə)

n

1. (Mathematics) maths

a. a three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from a given point, the centre

b. the solid figure bounded by this surface or the space enclosed by it. Equation: (x–a)² + (y–b)² + (z–c)² = r², where r is the radius and (a, b, c) are the coordinates of the centre; surface area: 4πr²; volume: 4πr³/3

2. any object having approximately this shape; globe

3. (Astronomy) the night sky considered as a vaulted roof; firmament

4. (Astronomy) any heavenly object such as a planet, natural satellite, or star

5. (Astronomy) (in the Ptolemaic or Copernican systems of astronomy) one of a series of revolving hollow globes, arranged concentrically, on whose transparent surfaces the sun (or in the Copernican system the earth), the moon, the planets, and fixed stars were thought to be set, revolving around the earth (or in the Copernican system the sun)

6. particular field of activity; environment: that's out of my sphere.

7. (Sociology) a social class or stratum of society

vb (tr)

8. to surround or encircle

9. to place aloft or in the heavens

[C14: from Late Latin sphēra, from Latin sphaera globe, from Greek sphaira]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sphere

(sfɪər)

n., v. sphered, spher•ing. n.

1.

a. a solid geometric figure generated by the revolution of a semicircle about its diameter; a round body whose surface is at all points equidistant from the center.

b. the surface of such a figure; a spherical surface.

2. any rounded, globular body.

3.

a. a planet or star; heavenly body.

b. celestial sphere.

c. any of the transparent, concentric, spherical shells, or layers, in which, according to ancient belief, the planets, stars, and other heavenly bodies were set.

4. the environment within which a person or thing exists, acts, or operates.

5. a field of something specified: a sphere of knowledge.

v.t.

6. to enclose in a sphere.

7. to form into a sphere.

8. to place among the heavenly spheres.

[1275–1325; < Old French espere < Late Latin spēra, Latin sphaera globe < Greek sphaîra]

-sphere

a combining form meaning “sphere,” “something spherical in shape” (hemisphere), used esp. in the names of the concentric layers of gases, water, rock, etc., characteristic of the earth or other celestial bodies (ionosphere; lithosphere).

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

sphere

The volume (V) of a sphere can be calculated using the following equation: V = ⁴/₃ πr³.

sphere

(sfîr)

A three-dimensional geometric surface having all of its points the same distance from a given point.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sphere

• great circle - Any circle on the surface of a sphere that lies on a plane through its center, or a circle that divides into two equal parts—as the Equator.
• quadrant - A quarter of a circle or sphere.
• rhumb line - A line on a sphere that cuts all meridians at the same angle; the path taken by a ship or plane that maintains a constant compass direction.
• diameter - From Greek, meaning "measure through" (a circle or sphere, etc.).

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sphere

 the persons with whom one is normally in contact, 1839; a group of persons of a certain rank, standing, or interest, 1601.

Examples: sphere of sweet affections, 1602; of fortunes, 1671; of the theatre; of the world of music.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

sphere

Past participle: sphered
Gerund: sphering

Imperative

sphere

sphere

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	sphere - a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit" arena, domain, orbit, area, field environment - the totality of surrounding conditions; "he longed for the comfortable environment of his living room" distaff - the sphere of work by women front - a sphere of activity involving effort; "the Japanese were active last week on the diplomatic front"; "they advertise on many different fronts" kingdom, realm, land - a domain in which something is dominant; "the untroubled kingdom of reason"; "a land of make-believe"; "the rise of the realm of cotton in the south" lap - an area of control or responsibility; "the job fell right in my lap" political arena, political sphere - a sphere of intense political activity preserve - a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone; "medicine is no longer a male preserve" province, responsibility - the proper sphere or extent of your activities; "it was his province to take care of himself"
	2.	sphere - any spherically shaped artifact artefact, artifact - a man-made object taken as a whole globe - a sphere on which a map (especially of the earth) is represented
	3.	sphere - the geographical area in which one nation is very influential sphere of influence geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region - a demarcated area of the Earth
	4.	sphere - a particular aspect of life or activity; "he was helpless in an important sector of his life" sector aspect, facet - a distinct feature or element in a problem; "he studied every facet of the question" department - a specialized sphere of knowledge; "baking is not my department"; "his work established a new department of literature"
	5.	sphere - a solid figure bounded by a spherical surface (including the space it encloses) round shape - a shape that is curved and without sharp angles conglobation, conglomeration - a rounded spherical form globe, orb, ball - an object with a spherical shape; "a ball of fire" drop, bead, pearl - a shape that is spherical and small; "he studied the shapes of low-viscosity drops"; "beads of sweat on his forehead"
	6.	sphere - a three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center steradian, sr - the unit of solid angle adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites round shape - a shape that is curved and without sharp angles
	7.	sphere - the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected celestial sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin apex of the sun's way, solar apex, apex - the point on the celestial sphere toward which the sun and solar system appear to be moving relative to the fixed stars celestial point - a point in the heavens (on the celestial sphere) nadir - the point below the observer that is directly opposite the zenith on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected surface - the extended two-dimensional outer boundary of a three-dimensional object; "they skimmed over the surface of the water"; "a brush small enough to clean every dental surface"; "the sun has no distinct surface" zenith - the point above the observer that is directly opposite the nadir on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected zodiac - a belt-shaped region in the heavens on either side to the ecliptic; divided into 12 constellations or signs for astrological purposes

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

sphere

noun

1. ball, globe, orb, globule, circle The cactus will form a large sphere crested with golden thorns.

2. field, range, area, department, function, territory, capacity, province, patch, scope, turf (U.S. slang), realm, domain, compass, walk of life the sphere of international politics

3. rank, class, station, status, stratum life outside academic spheres of society

sphere of influence area, range, scope, field, extent, orbit, jurisdiction, compass, remit the British or American spheres of influence

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sphere

noun

An area within which something or someone exists, acts, or has influence or power:

ambit, compass, extension, extent, orbit, purview, range, reach, realm, scope, sweep, swing.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

جِسْم كروي

koulekulová plocha

kugle

KugelBereichSphäre

σφαίρα

esferaglobobola

kera

کره

pallo

sphèreboule

kuglasfera

gömbhatáskörkörterület

hnöttur

sferasferico

rutulio pavidalo

bumbalodesfēra

bereikbolomgevingsfeer

klodekule

obszarsfera

esfera

сферакругобласть

kroglasfera

fackfältgebitglobklass

kürealan

球体

sphere

[sfɪəʳ] N

1. (Astron, Math etc) → esfera f

2. (fig) → esfera f
in the social sphere → en la esfera social
sphere of influence → esfera f de influencia
sphere of activity → campo m de actividad, esfera f de actividad
his sphere of interest → el ámbito de sus intereses
in the sphere of politics → en el mundo de la política
that's outside my sphere → eso no es de mi competencia

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sphere

[ˈsfɪə^r] n

(= round object) → sphère f

[activity] → domaine m
sphere of interest → centre m d'intérêt
sphere of influence → sphère f d'influence

[society] → milieu m
the influential people in her sphere → les personnes influentes de son milieu

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sphere

n

→ Kugel f; (= heavenly sphere) → Gestirn nt (geh); (old Astron) → Sphäre f (old); the celestial sphere (poet) → das Himmelszelt (poet); to be a sphere → kugelförmig sein

(fig) → Sphäre f, → Welt f; (of person, personal experience) → Bereich m; (of knowledge etc) → Gebiet nt, → Feld nt; (= social etc circle) → Kreis m; in the sphere of politics → in der Welt der Politik; his sphere of interest/influence → sein Interessen-/Einflussbereich; sphere of activity (= job, specialism) → Wirkungskreis m; that’s outside my sphere → das geht über meinen Horizont; (= not my responsibility) → das ist nicht mein Gebiet

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sphere

[sfɪəʳ] n (gen) → sfera
his sphere of interest → la sua sfera d'interessi
his sphere of activity → il suo campo di attività
within a limited sphere → in un ambito molto ristretto
sphere of influence → sfera d'influenza
that's outside my sphere → non rientra nelle mie competenze

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sphere

(sfiə) noun

a solid object with a surface on which all points are an equal distance from the centre, like eg most types of ball. sfeer جِسْم كروي сфера esfera koule die Kugel kugle σφαίραesfera kera كره pallo sphèreכדור गोला kugla, lopta gömb bulatan hnöttur sfera 球 구 rutulys sfēra; lode; bumba sfera bolkule, klodekula کره esfera sferă сфера; шар guľa krogla sfera sfär, klot รูปทรงกลม küre 球(體) сфера; куля کرہ، گولا hình cầu, quả cầu 球（体）

spherical (ˈsferikəl) adjective

completely round, like a ball. It is now known that the world is not flat, but spherical; a spherical object. sferies كُرَوي сферичен esférico kulový kugelförmig kuglerund σφαιρικόςesférico kerakujuline كروي pyöreä sphérique כַּדוּרִי गोलाकार okrugao, obao gömbölyű bulat hnöttóttur sferico 球形の 구형의 rutulio pavidalo sfērisks; lodveidīgs berbentuk sfera bolvormigkrum, rundkulisty کروی esférico sferic сферический; шарообразный guľový okrogel sferični sfärisk, klotformig กลม küresel 球形的 сферичний, кулястий کروی شکل کا، گنبد نما thuộc hình cầu 球形的

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

sphere

n. esfera.

1. estructura en forma de globo;

2. ambiente sociológico.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012