environs


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en·vi·rons

 (ĕn-vī′rənz, -vī′ərnz)
pl.n.
1. A surrounding area, especially of a city.
2. Surroundings; environment.

[French, from Old French, pl. of environ, circuit, from environ, round about; see environ.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

environs

(ɪnˈvaɪrənz)
pl n
a surrounding area or region, esp the suburbs or outskirts of a town or city; vicinity
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

en•vi•rons

(ɛnˈvaɪ rənz, -ˈvaɪ ərnz)

n.pl.
1. the surrounding parts or districts, as of a city; outskirts; suburbs.
2. surroundings; environment.
3. the nearby area or space; vicinity.
[1655–65; < French (pl.); replacing Middle English environ < Old French, n. use of environ around; see environ]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.environs - the area in which something exists or livesenvirons - the area in which something exists or lives; "the country--the flat agricultural surround"
ambiance, ambience - the atmosphere of an environment
medium - the surrounding environment; "fish require an aqueous medium"
setting, scene - the context and environment in which something is set; "the perfect setting for a ghost story"
element - the most favorable environment for a plant or animal; "water is the element of fishes"
habitat, home ground - the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs; "a marine habitat"; "he felt safe on his home grounds"
melting pot - an environment in which many ideas and races are socially assimilated
parts - the local environment; "he hasn't been seen around these parts in years"
2.environs - an outer adjacent area of any place
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

environs

plural noun surrounding area, surroundings, district, suburbs, neighbourhood, outskirts, precincts, vicinity, locality, purlieus From the hill we had a fine view of the village and its environs.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

environs

noun
1. A surrounding area:
2. The periphery of a city or town:
edge, fringe, outskirt (often used in plural), skirt (used in plural), suburb (used in plural).
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

environs

[ɪnˈvaɪərənz] Nalrededores mpl, inmediaciones fpl
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

environs

plUmgebung f; Rome and its environsRom und Umgebung
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

environs

[ɪnˈvaɪrənz] npldintorni mpl
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
"It is unfortunate," returned he, "that you have never visited the environs, for I wish to see my new property this evening, and had you gone with me, you could have given me some useful information."
We passed a considerable period at Oxford, rambling among its environs and endeavouring to identify every spot which might relate to the most animating epoch of English history.
*And gemmy flower, of Trebizond misnam'd - Inmate of highest stars, where erst it sham'd All other loveliness : its honied dew(The fabled nectar that the heathen knew) Deliriously sweet, was dropp'd from Heaven, And fell on gardens of the unforgiven In Trebizond - and on a sunny flower So like its own above that, to this hour, It still remaineth, torturing the bee With madness, and unwonted reverie : In Heaven, and all its environs, the leaf And blossom of the fairy plant, in grief Disconsolate linger - grief that hangs her head, Repenting follies that full long have fled, Heaving her white breast to the balmy air, Like guilty beauty, chasten'd, and more fair : Nyctanthes too, as sacred as the light She fears to perfume, perfuming the night :
Not so very far to the left of her she could discern a dark patch in the scenery, which inquiry confirmed her in supposing to be trees marking the environs of Kingsbere--in the church of which parish the bones of her ancestors--her useless ancestors--lay entombed.
In the environs there was almost nothing, hardly even a few grasses, with some dwarf mimosas and stunted bushes.
The Comte de la Fere inhabits the Castle of Bragelonne, in the environs of that city."
Neither do I reckon it an ill seat, only where the air is unwholesome; but likewise where the air is unequal; as you shall see many fine seats set upon a knap of ground, environed with higher hills round about it; whereby the heat of the sun is pent in, and the wind gathereth as in troughs; so as you shall have, and that suddenly, as great diversity of heat and cold as if you dwelt in several places.
Environed by them, while the Woodman and the Farmer worked unheeded, those two of the large jaws, and those other two of the plain and the fair faces, trod with stir enough, and carried their divine rights with a high hand.
Only, with the view of evading the Law, if possible, I spoke not of a physical Dimension, but of a Thoughtland whence, in theory, a Figure could look down upon Flatland and see simultaneously the insides of all things, and where it was possible that there might be supposed to exist a Figure environed, as it were, with six Squares, and containing eight terminal Points.
To the there-named south-fruits now, Similar, all-too-similar, Do I lie here; by little Flying insects Round-sniffled and round-played, And also by yet littler, Foolisher, and peccabler Wishes and phantasies,-- Environed by you, Ye silent, presentientest Maiden-kittens, Dudu and Suleika, --ROUNDSPHINXED, that into one word I may crowd much feeling:
After having shown the public spirit of this praiseworthy little animal as a member of a community, and his amiable and exemplary conduct as the father of a family, we grieve to record the perils with which he is environed, and the snares set for him and his painstaking household.
The consciousness of being environed by such dangerous neighbors, and of being still within the range of Rose and his fellow ruffians, obliged the party to be continually on the alert, and to maintain weary vigils throughout the night, lest they should be robbed of their horses.

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