atmospheric English · revision 16170

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1777}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˌætməsˈfɛɹɪk/ ''(UK)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|en|atmosphere|-ic]].^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Pertaining to or existing in the atmosphere: 1777 in Etymonline,^(Etymonline) 1783 in the OED.^(OED 2026) Merriam-Webster gives 1661.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Senses multiplied with 18th-century science: forming the atmosphere (1783), existing in the air (1789), and worked by the action of the air (1822),^(OED 2026) as in the ''atmospheric engine'' of early steam power.^(SOED 2002) ''Atmospherics'', interference in radio reception, is from 1905.^(Etymonline) The sense "evoking a mood", from ''atmosphere'' in that sense, is from 1908, in ''Punch''.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1777 – relating to the atmosphere.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1789 – existing or taking place in the air.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1822 – worked by air pressure.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1905 – ''atmospherics'', radio interference.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1908 – creating a mood.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Relating to the [[atmosphere]] of the Earth or another planet.^(AHD 2024)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Creating a distinctive [[mood]], especially a romantic or mysterious one.^(AHD 2024)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[atmospherically]]

+ * [[atmospherics]]

+ * [[nonatmospheric]]

+ * [[sferics]]

+ * [[subatmospheric]]

+ * [[unatmospheric]]

+ * [[atmospheric electricity]]

+ * [[atmospheric engine]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[atmosphere]]

+ * [[sphere]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}