sphere
UK: sfɪə | US: sfɪr
n. a perfectly round three-dimensional geometric object
n. a field of activity, influence, or expertise
n. a celestial body or its apparent surface
The word "sphere" traces back to the Greek "sphaira" (meaning "ball" or "globe"), which entered Latin as "sphaera." The morpheme "spher" preserves the core idea of roundness, while the silent "e" is a common English suffix with no semantic role. The term evolved to describe both physical objects (like planets) and abstract domains (like "sphere of influence"), reflecting its conceptual expansion from concrete geometry to metaphorical boundaries.
The Earth is nearly a perfect sphere.
She excels in the sphere of scientific research.
Ancient astronomers believed celestial bodies moved within crystalline spheres.
His work falls outside my professional sphere.
The artist sculpted a delicate glass sphere.