Atmospheric

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌætməsˈfɛɹɪk/

Definitions

1. relating to the mood or feeling of a place, or concerning the layer of gases surrounding Earth
2. Pertaining to the gaseous layer encasing the planet ; enhancing the sense or impression created in an environment
3. Connected with the mixture of gases surrounding Earth ; affecting the emotional tone or character of a setting

Etymology: The adjective "atmospheric" is built from a noun that was itself assembled from two Greek pieces. Ancient Greek "atmós" meant "vapour" or "steam," and "sphaira" meant "sphere" or "ball." Their union produced "atmosphere," a term that first referred to the vapour-ball surrounding the earth, a sense that took shape in French as "atmosphère" before English borrowed it. From there, "atmospheric" was formed in English by adding the suffix "-ic," which comes through Latin "-icus" and Old French "-ique," to give the sense "of or relating to the atmosphere." That is the plain pathway of a simple adjective built on an existing noun, and it carries the original sense of air and vapour directly into the modern word.

Synonyms: aerial, climatic

Antonyms: terrestrial