environment

en·vi·ron·ment

E0168000 (ĕn-vī′rən-mənt, -vī′ərn-)n.1. a. The totality of the natural world, often excluding humans: "Technology, of course, lies at the heart of man's relationship with the environment" (Mark Hertsgaard).b. A subset of the natural world; an ecosystem: the coastal environment.c. The combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development, behavior, and survival of organisms: "Conditions in a lion's environment ... can drive it to hunt people" (Philip Caputo).d. The complex of social and cultural conditions affecting the nature of an individual person or community.2. The general set of conditions or circumstances: a terrible environment for doing business.3. Computers a. The entire set of conditions under which one operates a computer, as it relates to the hardware, operating platform, or operating system.b. An area of a computer's memory used by the operating system and some programs to store certain variables to which they need frequent access.

environment

(ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt) n1. external conditions or surroundings, esp those in which people live or work2. (Biology) ecology the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour3. the state of being environed; encirclement4. (Computer Science) computing an operating system, program, or integrated suite of programs that provides all the facilities necessary for a particular application: a word-processing environment. enˌvironˈmental adj enˌvironˈmentally adv

en•vi•ron•ment

(ɛnˈvaɪ rən mənt, -ˈvaɪ ərn-)

n. 1. the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu. 2. the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time. 3. the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population. 4. the hardware or software configuration of a computer system. [1825–30] en•vi`ron•men′tal, adj. en•vi`ron•men′tal•ly, adv. syn: environment, milieu, ambiance, setting refer to the objects, conditions, or circumstances that influence the life of an individual or community. environment may refer to physical or to social and cultural surroundings: an environment of grinding poverty. milieu, encountered most often in literary writing, refers to intangible surroundings: a milieu of artistic innovation. ambiance applies to the mood or tone of the surroundings: an ambiance of ease and elegance. setting tends to highlight the person or thing surrounded by or set against a background: a lovely setting for a wedding.

en·vi·ron·ment

(ĕn-vī′rən-mənt) All of the physical, chemical, and biological conditions that together act on an organism or an ecological community and influence its growth and development. Soil, air, water, climate, plant and animal life, noise level, and pollution are all components of an environment. To survive, organisms must often adapt to changes in their environments.

Environment

See also atmosphere; biology; climate; earth.
anthoecologythe study of the relationship of flowers to their environment. — anthoecologic, anthoecological, adj.anthroposociologythe study of the effects upon each other of environment and race. — anthroposociologic, anthroposociological, adj.autecologythe study of an individual organism, or the species regarded collectively, in relation to environment. — autecologic, autecological, adj.bioecologythe study of the interrelation of plants and animals in their common environment. — bioecologist, n.bionomicsecology, Also bionomy. — bionomist, n. — bionomic, bionomical, adj.biotechnologyergonomics.ecesisthe transplanting of a plant to a new environment.ecocidedestruction of the environment.ecology, oecology1. the branch of biology that studies the relationship of organisms and environments. Also called bionomics, bionomy.
2. the branch of sociology that studies the environmental spacing and interdependence of people and their institutions, as in rural or urban settings. — ecologist, oecologist, n. — ecologie, oecologic, ecological, oecological, adj.ecosystemany area or region regarded as a unit for ecological observation and study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environment.ecotonea transitional area or zone between two different forms of vegetation, as between forest and plain. — ecotonal, adj.ecotypea type or subspecies of life that is especially well adapted to a certain environment. — ecotypic, adj.environmentalismconcern for and action on behalf of the environment and its preservation. — environmentalist, n.ergonomicsthe study of the relation of man to the environment in which he works and the application of anatomical, physiological, psychological, and engineering knowledge to the problems involved. Also called biotechnology. — ergonomic, adj.euthenicsa science concerned with improving the well-being of mankind through improvement of the environment. — euthenist, n.genecologya combination of genetics and ecology that studies animal species and their environment. — genecologist, n. — genecologic, genecological, adj.konimeteran instrument for measuring impurities in the air. — konimetric, adj.konimetrythe measurement of impurities in the air by means of a konimeter. — konimetric, adj.koniology, coniologythe study of atmospheric dust and other impurities in the air, as germs, pollen, etc., especially regarding their effect on plant and animal life.miasmologythe study of fogs and smogs, especially those affecting air pollution levels.oligotrophy(of lakes) the quality of containing a low accumulation of dissolved nutrient salts, thus supporting little plant or animal life and having a high oxygen content owing to the low organic content. — oligotrophic, adj.paleoecology, palaeoecologythe branch of ecology that studies the relationship of ancient plants and animals to their environments. — paleoecologic, palaeoecologic, paleoecological, palaeoecological, adj.preservationista person who is concerned with or active in the preservation of wildlife, historical sites, natural habitats, and other features of the environment.synecologythe branch of ecology that studies the relationship between plant and animal communities and their environments. — synecologic, synecological, adj.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	environment - the totality of surrounding conditions; "he longed for the comfortable environment of his living room"situation, state of affairs - the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time; "the present international situation is dangerous"; "wondered how such a state of affairs had come about"; "eternal truths will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for every new social situation"- Franklin D.Rooseveltcircumstance, context, setting - the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event; "the historical context"ecology - the environment as it relates to living organisms; "it changed the ecology of the island"scope, setting, background - the state of the environment in which a situation exists; "you can't do that in a university setting"home - an environment offering affection and security; "home is where the heart is"; "he grew up in a good Christian home"; "there's no place like home"milieu, surroundings - the environmental conditionarena, domain, sphere, orbit, area, field - 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"street - the streets of a city viewed as a depressed environment in which there is poverty and crime and prostitution and dereliction; "she tried to keep her children off the street"
	2.	environment - the area in which something exists or lives; "the country--the flat agricultural surround"environs, surround, surroundingsambiance, ambience - the atmosphere of an environmentmedium - the surrounding environment; "fish require an aqueous medium"setting, scene - the context and environment in which something is set; "the perfect setting for a ghost story"element - the most favorable environment for a plant or animal; "water is the element of fishes"geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region - a demarcated area of the Earthhabitat, home ground - the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs; "a marine habitat"; "he felt safe on his home grounds"melting pot - an environment in which many ideas and races are socially assimilatedparts - the local environment; "he hasn't been seen around these parts in years"

environment

noun1. surroundings, setting, conditions, situation, medium, scene, circumstances, territory, background, atmosphere, context, habitat, domain, milieu, locale The children were brought up in completely different environments.2. habitat, home, surroundings, territory, terrain, locality, natural home the maintenance of a safe environment for marine mammalsthe environment natural world, world, nature, creation, living world persuading people to respect the environment

environment

noun1. Existing surroundings that affect an activity:circumstance (often used in plural), condition (used in plural).Slang: scene.2. A surrounding area:environs, locale, locality, neighborhood, precinct (used in plural), surroundings, vicinity.3. The totality of surrounding conditions and circumstances affecting growth or development:ambiance, atmosphere, climate, medium, milieu, mise en scène, surroundings, world.

Translations

环境

environment

(inˈvaiərənmənt) noun (a set of) surrounding conditions, especially those influencing development or growth. An unhappy home environment may drive a teenager to crime; We should protect the environment from destruction by modern chemicals etc.环境enˌvironˈmental (-ˈmen-) adjective环境的environˈmentalist noun a person who wants to stop the damage being done to the environment by humans. 环境保护论者，环境论者

environment

→ 环境zhCN

environment

1. Ecology the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour 2. Computing an operating system, program, or integrated suite of programs that provides all the facilities necessary for a particular application
www.conservation.org
www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/eae/english.html
http://personal.cmich.edu/~franc1m/homepage.htm

Environment

The sum of all external factors, both biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving), to which an organism is exposed. Biotic factors include influences by members of the same and other species on the development and survival of the individual. Primary abiotic factors are light, temperature, water, atmospheric gases, and ionizing radiation, influencing the form and function of the individual.

For each environmental factor, an organism has a tolerance range, in which it is able to survive. The intercept of these ranges constitutes the ecological niche of the organism. Different individuals or species have different tolerance ranges for particular environmental factors—this variation represents the adaptation of the organism to its environment. The ability of an organism to modify its tolerance of certain environmental factors in response to a change in them represents the plasticity of that organism. Alterations in environmental tolerance are termed acclimation. Exposure to environmental conditions at the limit of an individual's tolerance range represents environmental stress. See Adaptation (biology), Ecology, Physiological ecology (animal), Physiological ecology (plant)

Environment

The combination of all external conditions which may influence, modify, or affect the actions of a person, piece of equipment, or any system.

environment

the surroundings, or context, within which humans, animals or objects exist or act. The term's meaning is therefore wide, and is understood more precisely only within the context in which it is itself used.

Specifically, ‘environment’ is taken to mean, in association with ‘learning’ and ‘experience’, the sum of outside influences on the organism, and is to be distinguished from the inherited potential which is also influential in development and behaviour (see NATURE–NURTURE DEBATE).

A quite distinct usage is in relation to the natural world system, which is currently seen as fragile and threatened by the human technology developed since the Industrial Revolution, and the escalation of population which has resulted from it. This is a prime concern of the GREEN MOVEMENT and ECOLOGY generally.

These two usages by no means cover the many and various ways in which the term environment’ can be used, but serve to illustrate the diversity of possible uses. see also SYSTEMS THEORY.

Environment

the medium in which man lives and works. As a rule, the term “environment” refers to the natural surroundings, and this is the sense in which it is used in international agreements, including those between members of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. The concept of environment frequently includes man-made elements, such as dwellings and industrial enterprises. Man’s natural area of distribution as a biological species is determined by natural conditions, but the development of social production and technology has expanded man’s sphere of activity so greatly that it now engulfs virtually the entire geographic shell. Human society has radically changed the environment in the process of economic development.

Man’s influence on the environment is becoming increasingly perceptible, and it has intensified particularly during the modern scientific and technological revolution. All natural components of the environment have undergone some change. Man has domesticated many animal species and has developed cultivated plants; at the same time, he has exterminated many wild animals, including dozens of species of mammals and birds, and has destroyed whole biocenoses. Today, there are 50 percent fewer forests than in Neolithic times. Natural vegetation has been replaced by cultivated land, and secondary forests and savannas, brush thickets, heaths, and meadows have arisen. The face of the earth has also been greatly changed by man-made structures, such as structures regulating river systems, canals, and reservoirs. Enormous masses of rock are moved each year in the course of construction work and mining.

Man has increased the natural productivity of many landscapes; there is cultivation on land improved through drainage, irrigation and shelterbelts and on land reclaimed from the sea (for example, the polders in the Netherlands). However, human interference in the regulation of natural processes does not always produce the desired beneficial results owing to the difficulty of predicting the long-term consequences. Disruption of just one of the natural components leads to a restructuring of natural territorial complexes. Thus, cutting down forests, plowing up soils, and overgrazing pastures damage the soil cover, alter the water balance, and lead to erosion, the formation of dust storms, encroachment of sand, and formation of marshes.

Progress—the intensive development of certain major branches of the power and manufacturing industries (oil refining, nuclear power, chemical industry, nonferrous metallurgy), the use of chemicals in agriculture, and the growth of motor-vehicle, water, and air transportation—poses a serious threat to the environment unless protective measures are taken. Pollution of soil, water, and air is a direct consequence of heedless change. The rate at which the world ocean is being polluted, especially by petroleum products, has increased; it is estimated that 10 million tons of these products enter the oceans each year. Petroleum products form a film on the water surface that impedes gas and water exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, thus creating extremely unfavorable conditions for the development of marine organisms. Each year industrial enterprises and various forms of transport release into the atmosphere about 1 billion tons of aerosols and gases, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, and approximately the same amount of soot; more than 500 billion tons of industrial and domestic waste pours into bodies of water. In large industrial centers in capitalist countries the amount of toxic impurities in the air exceeds maximum permissible concentrations, which frequently leads to dangerous illnesses among the population. Toxic impurities from the air and bodies of water are drawn into the planetary hydrologic cycle, carried great distances by air currents, enter the soil, and become concentrated in plants, from which they enter the bodies of animals and humans.

The energy effect is an important consequence of technology’s influence on the environment. With 7 billion tons of standard fuel being burned each year, more than 12.5 × 10¹⁶ kilojoules (3 × 10¹⁶ kilocalories) of heat is evolved. Moreover, when the fuel is burned, more than 20 billion tons of carbon dioxide enter the atmosphere annually, and the growing concentration of this gas increases the possibility of the air and the surface of the earth overheating owing to the greenhouse effect.

By adversely affecting ecological conditions, pollution promotes the development of an ecological crisis, which is particularly critical in some cities and industrial regions in the United States, Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany, and other capitalist countries. Many capitalist countries have been forced to take steps to protect the environment, but the effectiveness of these measures is limited by private ownership of land and the means of production and resistance by the monopolies. The USSR and other socialist countries have introduced planned measures for the protection of nature and the efficient use of natural resources.

Optimization of interaction between the environment and man not only provides for environmental protection and the efficient use of natural resources but also provides for fundamental changes in the environment based on new, waste-free, technology and new forms of energy. Making this a reality requires comprehensive study of the environmental changes wrought by technology, investigation of the degree of stability of natural landscapes in relation to human influence, evaluation of the capability of landscapes for self-regulation and restoration, and the capability of predicting possible changes in landscape.

Urbanization also affects human health. Along with a significant improvement in hygienic conditions and a reduction in infectious diseases, new disease-causing factors have arisen. At present, measures to protect the air, natural waters, and other elements of the environment carried out within an individual country alone are no longer adequate. The appeal To the World’s Peoples, which was adopted at the joint ceremonial meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR on Dec. 22, 1972, on the 50th anniversary of the formation of the USSR, emphasizes the necessity of uniting and activating the efforts of all peoples of the world to preserve and restore man’s environment.

A. G. ISACHENKO

Environment

in biology, the sum total of abiotic (inorganic) and biotic (organic) conditions that make up the habitat of one or more species of animal, plant, or microorganism.

Abiotic factors of the environment include both chemical and physical (or climatic) factors. Chemical factors include the chemical composition of the air, for example, its content of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and injurious contaminants, and the composition of seawater, fresh water, bottomset beds, and soil. Physical factors include temperature, barometric pressure, prevailing winds, air and water currents, and background radiation. The abundance and distribution of organisms within their home range often depend entirely on abiotic environmental factors that are necessary for existence but are present in minimal quantities, such as water in a desert.

Biotic environmental factors are the sum total of the influences exerted by certain organisms on other organisms. Organisms may serve as a habitat or a source of food, for example, a host’s body is the habitat for a parasite. Some organisms may promote reproduction in others, as exemplified by the pollination of flowers by insects. The scattering of seeds by animals may serve as a means of colonization for other organisms. The effects of biotic environmental factors are manifested by the type of reciprocal influences that exist between organisms making up the interdependent links of a single biocenosis.

O. M. BENIUMOV

Environment

the social, material, and nonmaterial conditions of man’s existence, development, and activity. In the broad sense (the macroenvironment), the environment encompasses the socioeconomic system as a whole—the productive forces, aggregate of social relationships and institutions, social consciousness, and culture of a given society. In the narrow sense (the microenvironment), as an element of the total environment, it includes an individual’s immediate surroundings—his family and work, school, and other associations.

The environment has a decisive influence on the formation and development of personality. At the same time, man’s creative activities alter and transform the environment, and in the process of these transformations man himself changes.

environment

[in′vī·ərn·mənt or in′vī·rən·ment] (computer science) The computer system in which an applications program is running, including the hardware and system software. (ecology) The sum of all external conditions and influences affecting the development and life of organisms. (engineering) The aggregate of all natural, operational, or other conditions that affect the operation of equipment or components. (physics) The aggregate of all the conditions and the influences that determine the behavior of a physical system.

built environment

The aggregate of the physical surroundings and conditions constructed by human beings, in contrast to those surroundings and conditions resulting from the natural environment.

environment

environment variable

environment

A particular configuration of hardware or software. "The environment" refers to a hardware platform and the operating system that is used in it. A programming environment would include the compiler and associated development tools.

Environment is used in other ways to express a type of configuration, such as a networking environment, database environment, transaction processing environment, batch environment, interactive environment and so on. See platform.

See environment

environment

en·vi·ron·ment

environment

en•vi•ron•ment

en·vi·ron·ment

Environment

environment

environment

environment

environment

environment

environment

Environment

Environment

environment

Environment

Environment

Environment

environment

built environment

environment

environment

environment

environment

en·vi·ron·ment

environment

en·vi·ron·ment

environment

en·vi·ron·ment

Patient discussion about environment

environment

Synonyms for environment

noun surroundings

Synonyms

noun habitat

Synonyms

phrase the environment

Synonyms

Synonyms for environment

noun existing surroundings that affect an activity

Synonyms

noun a surrounding area

Synonyms

noun the totality of surrounding conditions and circumstances affecting growth or development

Synonyms

Synonyms for environment

noun the totality of surrounding conditions

Related Words

noun the area in which something exists or lives

Synonyms

Related Words