sphere
Greekball, globe, round body
About This Root
From Greek sphaîra (ball, globe). In English, sphere itself means a round body or domain of influence. Most productively, it combines with prefixes to name Earth's layers and zones: atmosphere (vapor sphere), hemisphere (half sphere), lithosphere (stone sphere), hydrosphere, ionosphere, magnetosphere. Spherical describes the round shape.
Associated Words · 11
atmosphere
The gases surrounding a planet; the mood or feeling of a place
sphere
A perfectly round three-dimensional object; a field of activity or influence
atmospheric
Relating to the atmosphere; creating a special mood
hemisphere
Half of the Earth or a sphere
spherical
Having the shape of a sphere; round like a ball
photosphere
The visible luminous surface layer of a star
magnetosphere
The region around a planet dominated by its magnetic field
ionosphere
The upper atmospheric layer containing free electrons that reflect radio waves
lithosphere
The rigid outer layer of the Earth, divided into tectonic plates
chromosphere
The atmospheric layer of a star between the photosphere and the corona
hydrosphere
All the waters on Earth's surface, distinct from land and atmosphere