envelopment

American  

[en-vel-uhp-muhnt] / ɛnˈvɛl əp mənt /

noun

1. an act of enveloping.

2. the state of being enveloped.

3. a wrapping or covering.

4. Military. an attack on an enemy's flank.

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Other Word Forms

• preenvelopment noun

Etymology

Origin of envelopment

First recorded in 1755–65; envelop + -ment

Example Sentences

Pleated wrapping and swathes of layering — sometimes in eye-popping hues such as vivid blue — created a sense of envelopment and protection.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2024

But the statement added that "Ukrainian defence remains at risk from envelopment from the north and south".

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2023

The airfield is "one of the hubs from which ... Iraqi security forces, accompanied and advised by us as needed, will complete the southernmost envelopment of Mosul," he said.Lt.

From Reuters • Jul. 11, 2016

In that ancient battle, Carthage beat the giant Roman army in a crushing defeat in part by circling their enemies through a double envelopment.

From Time • Jun. 20, 2016

I hoped he had fallen away with his mind intact and felt the warm envelopment of darkness, as if perhaps he had returned to his beloved deep mine for one last time.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam