Environment

Environment
The sum of the total of the elements, factors and conditions in the surroundings which may have an impact on the development, action or survival of an organism or group of organisms. The environment is as opposed to genetics. We are the product of our genetic inheritance and our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the American government agency charged to "protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment — air, water, and land — upon which life depends."
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The milieu; the aggregate of all of the external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of an organism. It can be divided into physical, biological, social, cultural, etc., any or all of which can influence the health status of the population. [Fr. environ, around]

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en·vi·ron·ment in-'vī-rən-mənt, -'vī(-ə)rn- n
1) the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival
2) the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community
en·vi·ron·men·tal -.vī-rən-'ment-əl, -.vī(-ə)rn- adj
en·vi·ron·men·tal·ly -əl-ē adv

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n.
any or all aspects of the surroundings of an organism, both internal and external, which influence its growth, development, and behaviour.

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en·vi·ron·ment (en-viґron-mənt) [Fr. environner to surround, to encircle] the sum total of all the conditions and elements making up the surroundings and influencing the development and actions of an individual.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Environment — may refer to: * Natural environment, all living and non living things that occur naturally on Earth * Built environment, constructed surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging from the large scale civic surroundings to the… …   Wikipedia

  • Environment — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El environment surge en Estados Unidos, a principio de los años cincuenta y en torno al compositor John Cage y la tradición dadaísta no hay que olvidar el papel de Duchamp en Nueva York , Se empieza a hacer visible… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Environment — En*vi ron*ment, 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • environment — I noun atmosphere, aura, circumstances, context, environs, locality, milieu, situation, surroundings II index atmosphere, climate, locality, location, situation …   Law dictionary

  • environment — [n] surroundings, atmosphere ambiance, aura, backdrop, background, circumstances, climate, conditions, context, domain, element, encompassment, entourage, habitat, hood*, jungle*, locale, medium, milieu, neck of the woods*, neighborhood, purlieus …   New thesaurus

  • environment — ► NOUN 1) the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. 2) (the environment) the natural world, especially as affected by human activity. 3) Computing the overall structure within which a user, computer, or …   English terms dictionary

  • environment — environment. См. среда [обитания]. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

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  • environment — c.1600, state of being environed (see ENVIRON (Cf. environ) + MENT (Cf. ment)); sense of nature, conditions in which a person or thing lives first recorded 1827 (used by Carlyle to render Ger. Umgebung); specialized ecology sense first recorded… …   Etymology dictionary

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