| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| world |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  wûrld |
| NOUN: | 1. The earth. 2. The universe. 3. The earth with its inhabitants. 4. The inhabitants of the earth; the human race. 5a. Humankind considered as social beings; human society: turned her back on the world. b. People as a whole; the public: The event amazed the world. 6. often World A specified part of the earth: the Western World. 7. A part of the earth and its inhabitants as known at a given period in history: the ancient world. 8. A realm or domain: the animal world; the world of imagination. 9a. A sphere of human activity or interest: the world of sports. b. A class or group of people with common characteristics or pursuits: the scientific world. 10. A particular way of life: the world of the homeless. 11. All that relates to or affects the life of a person: He saw his world collapse about him. 12. Secular life and its concerns: a man of the world. 13a. Human existence; life: brought a child into the world. b. A state of existence: the next world. 14. A large amount; much. Often used in the plural: did her a world of good; candidates that are worlds apart on foreign policy. 15. A celestial body such as a planet: the possibility of life on other worlds. | | ADJECTIVE: | 1. Of or relating to the world: a world champion. 2. Involving or extending throughout the entire world: a world crisis. | | IDIOMS: | for all the world In all respects; precisely: She looked for all the world like a movie star. in the world Used as an intensive: How in the world did they manage? I never in the world would have guessed. out of this world Informal Extraordinary; superb: The dinner was out of this world. the world over Throughout the world: known the world over. world without end Forever. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old English weorold. See w -ro- in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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