[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

environment \envi"ronment\, n. cf. f. environnement.
   1. act of environing; state of being environed.
      1913 webster

   2. that which environs or surrounds; surrounding conditions,
      influences, or forces, by which living forms are
      influenced and modified in their growth and development.
      1913 webster

            it is no friendly environment, this of thine.
                                                  --carlyle.
      1913 webster

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

environment
     n 1: the totality of surrounding conditions; "he longed for the
          comfortable environment of his livingroom"
     2: the area in which something exists or lives; "the
        country--the flat agricultural surround" syn: environs,
         surroundings, surround
see also:
environs surroundings surround 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

49 moby thesaurus words for "environment":
   ambience, ambient, atmosphere, backdrop, background, cincture,
   circling, circumambience, circumambiency, circumcincture,
   circumflexion, circumjacence, circumposition, circumstances,
   climate, conditions, containment, context, ecosystem, embracement,
   encincture, encirclement, enclosure, encompassment, enfoldment,
   envelopment, environs, existing conditions, full particulars,
   girding, girdling, habitat, inclusion, ins and outs, involvement,
   locale, medium, milieu, mise-en-scene, set of conditions, setting,
   situation, status, status quo, surrounding, surroundings,
   territory, total situation, whole picture

[4] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

environment
     
        environment variable
     
     
see also:
environment variable 

Environment >> E Words
Environment, definition of term: Environment
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