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umwelt

British  
/ ˈʊmvɛlt /

noun

  1. the environmental factors, collectively, that are capable of affecting the behaviour of an animal or individual

"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

Etymology

Origin of umwelt

C20: from German Umwelt environment


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

AI can find correlations between audio, video, chemical analysis, or any other kind of measurements that may create a sperm whale’s umwelt, which Whitehead agreed can be expected to lead to exciting new discoveries.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2024

One of the terms used in the book is the notion of umwelt, which is this notion of the lived experience of organisms.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 7, 2023

Yong structures “An Immense World” around the German noun umwelt, “the part of those surroundings that an animal can sense and experience — its perceptual world.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2022

This is because your umwelt is the only one you’ve ever known.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2022

To the extent that it’s possible, the only way to understand another animal’s umwelt is through comparison and imagination — two areas where Yong falls short.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2022

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