hydrosphere

[hahy-druh-sfeer]

noun

the water on or surrounding the surface of the globe, including the water of the oceans and the water in the atmosphere.

Origin of hydrosphere

First recorded in 1885–90; hydro-¹ + -sphere

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hydrosphere

Contemporary Examples of hydrosphere

We all exist in the hydrosphere, all downstream from one another.
Why Is Jacques Cousteau's Granddaughter Driving John McCain's Bus?
Lloyd Grove
April 22, 2010

Historical Examples of hydrosphere

The question of the origin of the Atlantic basin, like that of the other great divisions of the hydrosphere, is still unsettled.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 8
Various
As the heat of the interior increased, these gases transpired to the surface and formed the primitive atmosphere and hydrosphere.
The Elements of Geology
William Harmon Norton

British Dictionary definitions for hydrosphere

hydrosphere

noun

the watery part of the earth's surface, including oceans, lakes, water vapour in the atmosphere, etc

Derived Formshydrospheric, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hydrosphere

1887, from hydro- + sphere.

hydrosphere in Science

hydrosphere

[hī′drə-sfîr′]

All of the Earth's water, including surface water (water in oceans, lakes, and rivers), groundwater (water in soil and beneath the Earth's surface), snowcover, ice, and water in the atmosphere, including water vapor. Compare asthenosphere atmosphere lithosphere.