biosphere
/ˈbaɪəʊˌsfɪə(ɹ)/
biosphere means the part of the Earth and its atmosphere capable of supporting life. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 80 out of 100.
biosphere is pronounced /ˈbaɪəʊˌsfɪə(ɹ)/.
Why “biosphere” is a great word
The totality of all life-supporting zones on the planet, encompassing the thin, interpenetrated layer of land, water, and atmosphere in which organisms dwell. From the combining form bio- (from Greek bios, "life") and -sphere (from Greek sphaira, "sphere, globe"), coined in 1875 by Austrian geologist Eduard Suess as German Biosphäre. Unlike “ecosystem,” which denotes a bounded community and its local conditions, or “lithosphere,” which names the planet’s rigid rocky shell, the biosphere is the planetary sum, the integrated whole. It is the humid breath of a rainforest condensing into a river that feeds a distant plankton bloom; the fungal thread in soil binding to a root that sustains a migrating herd; the fragile, warm film of activity on a stone cast into the cosmic dark—the only skin this living world has ever known.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Biosphäre, coined by Austrian geologist Eduard Suess in 1875. By surface analysis, bio- + -sphere.
noun
- The part of the Earth and its atmosphere capable of supporting life.
- The totality of living organisms and their environment.“Patavig is the second of the Macedon system's giant terrestrial planets, and by far the more interesting. Most of the surface is covered by a vast sea of liquid ammonia, in which a unique aquatic ammonia-based biosphere has developed. While the frozen continents are largely bereft of life, a rich bounty of complex organisms — many larger than a human — flourish in the chilly, toxic seas.”