a mass of gas enveloping a celestial body, e.g. a planet; esp all the air surrounding the earth
the air or climate of a locality
a surrounding feeling or mood encountered in some environment
a dominant aesthetic or emotional effect or appeal, e.g. of a play, book, film, or musical work
a unit of pressure chosen to be a typical pressure of the air at sea level and equal to 101,325 newtons per square metre (about 14.7lb per square inch)
[scientific Latin atmosphaera, from Greek atmos vapour + sphaira sphere1]