Lexic.us

Definition of Sphere

1. Noun. A particular environment or walk of life. "He's out of my orbit"

2. Noun. Any spherically shaped artifact.

3. Noun. The geographical area in which one nation is very influential.

4. Noun. A particular aspect of life or activity. "He was helpless in an important sector of his life"

5. Noun. A solid figure bounded by a spherical surface (including the space it encloses).

6. Noun. A three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center.

7. Noun. The apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected.

Definition of Sphere

1. n. A body or space contained under a single surface, which in every part is equally distant from a point within called its center.

2. v. t. To place in a sphere, or among the spheres; to insphere.

Definition of Sphere

1. Noun. (mathematics) A regular three-dimensional object in which every cross-section is a circle; the figure described by the revolution of a circle about its diameter (defdate from 14th c.). ¹

2. Noun. A spherical physical object; a globe or ball. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

3. Noun. (context: astronomy now rare) The apparent outer limit of space; the edge of the heavens, imagined as a hollow globe within which celestial bodies appear to be embedded. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

4. Noun. (historical astronomy mythology) 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''). (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

5. Noun. (mythology) An area of activity for a planet; or by extension, an area of influence for a god, hero etc. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

6. Noun. (figuratively) The region in which something or someone is active; one's province, domain. (defdate from 17th c.) ¹

7. Noun. (geometry) 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 (defdate from 20th c.). ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Sphere

1. to form into a sphere (a type of geometric solid) [v SPHERED, SPHERING, SPHERES]

Medical Definition of Sphere

1. 1. A body or space contained under a single surface, which in every part is equally distant from a point within called its center. 2. Hence, any globe or globular body, especially a celestial one, as the sun, a planet, or the earth. "Of celestial bodies, first the sun, A mighty sphere, he framed." (Milton) 3. The apparent surface of the heavens, which is assumed to be spherical and everywhere equally distant, in which the heavenly bodies appear to have their places, and on which the various astronomical circles, as of right ascension and declination, the equator, ecliptic, etc, are conceived to be drawn; an ideal geometrical sphere, with the astronomical and geographical circles in their proper positions on it. In ancient astronomy, one of the concentric and eccentric revolving spherical transparent shells in which the stars, sun, planets, and moon were supposed to be set, and by which they were carried, in such a manner as to produce their apparent motions. 4. The extension of a general conception, or the totality of the individuals or species to which it may be applied. 5. Circuit or range of action, knowledge, or influence; compass; province; employment; place of existence. "To be called into a huge sphere, and not to be seen to move in 't." (Shak) "Taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself." (Hawthorne) "Each in his hidden sphere of joy or woe Our hermit spirits dwell." (Keble) 6. Rank; order of society; social positions. 7. An orbit, as of a star; a socket. Armillary sphere, Crystalline sphere, Oblique sphere,. See Armillary, Crystalline,. Doctrine of the sphere, applications of the principles of spherical trigonometry to the properties and relations of the circles of the sphere, and the problems connected with them, in astronomy and geography, as to the latitudes and longitudes, distance and bearing, of places on the earth, and the right ascension and declination, altitude and azimuth, rising and setting, etc, of the heavenly bodies; spherical geometry. Music of the spheres. See Music. Synonym: Globe, orb, circle. See Globe. Origin: OE. Spere, OF. Espere, F. Sphere, L. Sphaera,. Gr. A sphere, a ball. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Sphere

sphenosquamosal sphenosquamous suture sphenotemporal sphenotic sphenotic centre sphenotic foramen sphenoturbinal sphenovomerine sphenozygomatic sphenozygomatic suture

spheral spherand spherands spherator sphere (current term) sphere of influence sphere of knowledge sphered sphereing sphereless

spherelike spheres spheres of influence spheresthesia spheria spheric spherical spherical aberration spherical aberrations

Literary usage of Sphere

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism by James Clerk Maxwell (1873)
"Now let us consider the sphere as divided into two parts, one of which, the spherical segment on which we have determined the electric distribution, ..."

2. A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism by James Clerk Maxwell (1904)
"Now let us consider the sphere as divided into two parts, one of which, the spherical segment on which we have determined the electric distribution, ..."

3. Projective Geometry by Oswald Veblen, John Wesley Young (1918)
"The sphere and other quadrics. DEFINITION. A sphere is the set of all points [P] ... In case the line OP0 is minimal, the sphere is said to be degenerate; ..."

4. The Thirteen Books of Euclid's Elements by Euclid, Johan Ludvig Heiberg (1908)
"Similarly we can prove that neither has the sphere DEF to a less sphere than the sphere ABC the ratio triplicate of that which EF has to BC. ..."

5. A History of Greek Mathematics by Thomas Little Heath (1921)
"of the sphere, Pappus quotes Archimedes, On the sphere and Cylinder, but thinks proper to add a series of propositions (chaps. 20-43, pp. ..."

6. Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant, John Miller Dow Meiklejohn (1899)
"Section I.—The Discipline of Pure Reason in the sphere of Dogmatism The science of Mathematics presents the most brilliant example of the extension of the ..."

Other Resources: