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, 20:58, 2 August 2009
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Environment.jpg|right|frame]]
==Pronunciation==
en-vahy-ruhn-muhnt, -vahy-ern-
==Noun==
1. the aggregate of surrounding [[things]], conditions, or influences; surroundings; [[milieu]].
2. [['''Ecology''']]. the air, water, minerals, [[organism]]s, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any [[time]].
3. the social and [[cultural]] [[force]]s that shape the life of a [[person]] or a [[population]].
4. Computers. the hardware or software configuration, or the mode of operation, of a computer [[system]]: In a time-sharing environment, transactions are processed as they occur.
5. an indoor or outdoor setting that is characterized by the [[presence]] of environmental art that is itself designed to be site-specific.
==Origin==
1595–1605; environ + -ment
==Related forms==
en⋅vi⋅ron⋅men⋅tal, adjective
en⋅vi⋅ron⋅men⋅tal⋅ly, adverb
==Synonyms==
1. locale, environs. Environment, milieu, [[ambiance]], setting, surroundings all refer to what makes up the atmosphere or background against which someone or something is seen. Environment may refer either to actual [[physical]] surroundings or to social or cultural background factors: an environment of crime and grinding poverty. Milieu, encountered most often in [[literary]] writing, refers to [[intangible]] aspects of the environment: an exhilarating milieu of artistic ferment and innovation. Ambiance applies to the atmosphere of the surroundings, their [[mood]] or [[tone]]: an ambiance of ease and elegance. Setting suggests a background that sets something off: a perfect setting for the emerald. Surroundings alludes specifically to the physical aspects of the environment: awoke in strange surroundings; blend in with her surroundings.
[[Category: General Reference]]