Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: espere, from Latin sphaera, from Greek sphaira 'ball, sphere'

sphere

 noun
     
sphere
Related topics: Shapes, Patterns, Maths
sphere [countable]
1 a ball shape
2 a particular area of activity, work, knowledge etc
in ... sphere
television's increasing role in the political sphere
public/private sphere
Women have often been excluded from positions of power in the public sphere.
3

somebody's/something's sphere of influence

PG a person, country's, organization's etc sphere of influence is the area where they have power to change things
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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