environ

English
WOTD – 29 November 2022

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪnˈvaɪɹ(ə)n/, /ɛn-/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ənˈvaɪ(ə)ɹən/, /ɛn-/
  • Audio (GA)(file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪɹən
  • Hyphenation: en‧vir‧on

Etymology 1
PIE word
*h₁én

The adverb is derived from Middle English enviroun (“round about in a circle or ring; all around”) [and other forms],[1] from Anglo-Norman enviroun, environ [and other forms], and Middle French enviroun, environ [and other forms], from Old French environ (“around, surrounding; about, approximately, roughly”) (modern French environ), from en- (prefix meaning ‘in; into’) + viron (“circuit; circumference, compass; country round about”) (though first attested later)[2] (from virer (“to bear, turn, veer”) (either from Latin gȳrō (“to turn in a circle, rotate; to circle, revolve around”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve; an arch, vault”)), or from Latin vibrō (“to hurl, launch; shake; to tremble, vibrate”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyb-, *weyp- (“to shake; to tremble; to sway, swing; to rotate, turn, wind, wrap (around)”))) + -on (augmentative suffix)).

The preposition is derived from Middle English enviroun (“around the outside or perimeter of; all around; about or throughout the extent of”),[3] which is from the adverb.[2]

cognates

Adverb

environ (not comparable) (obsolete)

  1. In the neighbourhood; around.
    Synonyms: round, round about
    • c. 1519 (date written), [John Rastell], A New Iuterlude [sic] and a Mery of the Nature of the .IIII. Element[s...]; reprinted as John S. Farmer, editor, The Nature of the Four Elements (The Tudor Facsimile Texts), London; Edinburgh: […] T. C. & E. C. Jack, […], 1908, OCLC 977106262, signature Aij:
      Thaboũdant grace of the power deuyne / whiche doth illumyne yͤ world inuyron / Preſerue this audyẽce and cauſe them to inclyne / To charyte this is my petycyon
      The abundant grace of the power divine / which doth illumine the world environ / Preserve this audience and cause them to incline / To charity; this is my petition
    • 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The Second Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, OCLC 940138160, stanza 80, page 35:
      Lord Godfreyes eie three times enuiron goes, / To vievv vvhat count'nance euerie vvarriour beares, […]
  2. Almost, nearly.

Etymology 2

From Middle English envirounen, enviroun (“to surround in a circle or ring, or on the perimeter; to beset, besiege; to cover, enclose, envelop; to provide a setting or surrounding to; to move in a circle; to move around the perimeter; to go, move, or wander about (a place); to fill or pervade (a place); to run all the way through”) [and other forms],[4] from Anglo-Norman envirouner [and other forms], Middle French environner, and Old French environner (“to arrange in a circle; to circumnavigate, travel around; to traverse, wander around; to encircle, encompass, surround”) [and other forms] (modern French environner), from environ (adverb) (see etymology 1)[5] + -er (suffix forming verbs).

cognates

Verb

environ (third-person singular simple present environs, present participle environing, simple past and past participle environed) (transitive)

  1. To encircle or surround (someone or something).
    Synonym: (obsolete) belay
    1. (often military) To encircle or surround (someone or something) so as to attack from all sides; to beset.
      Synonyms: beleaguer, besiege
    2. (heraldry, chiefly passive, obsolete) To encircle or surround (a heraldic element such as a charge or escutcheon (shield)).
      • 1874, John W[oody] Papworth, “1 ANNULET betw. or within … and in chief …”, in Alfred W. Morant, editor, An Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland; […], London: T. Richards, […], OCLC 460013398, page 4, column 2:
        Az[ure], an annulet environing a barrulet, betw[een] two bars and in chief a cross patty fitchy or.
  2. To cover, enclose, or envelop (someone or something).
    Synonym: (obsolete) belay
  3. Followed by from: to hide or shield (someone or something).
  4. (chiefly passive) Of a person: to be positioned or stationed around (someone or something) to attend to or protect them.
    • 1609, Ammianus Marcellinus, “[The XXVI. Booke.] Chapter VIII. Whiles Valens is Farre Removed by Occasion of Warre against the Gothes, Procopius Putting Forward His Intended Businesse, is by Tumultuarie Acclamations Saluted Emperour.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Roman Historie, […], London: […] Adam Jslip, OCLC 606525206, page 293:
      [A]ll of them, upon an aſſociation made in the night, agreed to ſide vvith him, vvith aſſurance of ſafe conduct being gladly admitted unto them, environed he vvas vvith a multitude thronged together of vendible or ſale ſouldiors, […]
    • 1675, Joshua Stopford, “Altars”, in Pagano-papismus: Or, An Exact Parallel Between Rome-pagan, and Rome-Christian, in Their Doctrines and Ceremonies, London: […] A. Maxwell, for R. Clavel, […], OCLC 65623403, page 75:
      O moſt high God, who keepeſt all things whether high or low, and environeſt every creature; ſancti†fie and bleſs† theſe Creatures of lime and ſand; Through Chriſt our Lord, Amen.
      The † symbol indicates the point at which the bishop makes the sign of the cross.
    • 1759, David Hume, “[Elizabeth I.] Chapter III.”, in The History of England, under the House of Tudor. […], volume II, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 837645497, page 543:
      [T]he admiral in particular, being dangerouſly vvounded, and environed by the guards of the King, on vvhose protection he ſeemed entirely to rely, had no means of eſcape, and might ſurely, before his death, have been convicted of the crimes imputed to him: […]
  5. (figuratively) Of a situation or state of affairs, especially danger or trouble: to happen to and affect (someone or something).
  6. (obsolete)
    1. To amount to or encompass (a space).
      • 1613, Samuel Purchas, “[Asia.] Of the Philippina’s.”, in Purchas His Pilgrimage. Or Relations of the World and the Religions Observed in All Ages and Places Discouered, from the Creation vnto this Present. […], 2nd edition, London: […] William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], published 1614, OCLC 78547135, book V (Of the East-Indies, and of the Seas and Ilands about Asia, with Their Religions), page 535:
        Tendaia (vvhich firſt obtained the Philippine title) enuironeth a hundred and ſixtie leagues, from tvvelue to fifteene degrees of latitude: the people Idolatrous, abounding vvith Pepper, Ginger, Gold, and Mynes.
    2. To travel completely around (a place or thing); to circumnavigate.
Conjugation
Conjugation of environ
infinitive (to) environ
present tense past tense
1st-person singular environ environed, environned†
2nd-person singular environ, environest† environed, environedst†, environned†
3rd-person singular environs, environeth† environed, environned†
plural environ
subjunctive environ environed, environned†
imperative environ —
participles environing environed, environned†

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms
Translations
to encircle or surround (someone or something) — See also translations at encircle,‎ surround
to encircle or surround (someone or something) so as to attack from all sides — see beset
to cover, enclose, or envelop (someone or something) — see cover,‎ enclose,‎ envelop
to hide or shield (someone or something) — see hide,‎ shield

Etymology 3

From Late Middle English invyroun, Middle English enuyroun, enuyrown, from Anglo-Norman enviroun, environ, envirun, and Middle French environ (“circumference; surroundings; (in the plural) boundaries, frontiers”) (chiefly in the plural) (modern French environ), a noun use of Old French environ (adverb): see etymology 1.[6]

Noun

environ (plural environs)

  1. (archaic except in the plural, formal, also figuratively) A surrounding area or place (especially of an urban settlement); an environment.
    Naples and its environs
    • 1654 August 27 (Gregorian calendar)​, John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 17 August 1654]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], volume I, 2nd edition, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, OCLC 976971842, page 286:
      I got up to ye Towre, whence we had a prospect towards Duresme, and could see Rippon, part of Lancashire, the famous and fatal Marston Moore, ye Spaws of Knaresborough, and all the environs of that admirable country.
    • 1762, [Samuel] Foote, The Orators. […], Dublin: […] Thomas Richey, […], OCLC 642605481, Act I, pages 20–21:
      [N]ovv, if a hamlet containing thirty houſes, vvith perhaps an environ of an equal number, vvhere labour and the fruits of the earth are the only ſources of vvealth, can ſupport one attorney in this rural magnificence; vvhat an infinite number of lavvyers can a commercial capital ſuſtain?
    • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XIX, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume I, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], OCLC 20599507, page 235:
      His spirits, during the last two or three days, though still very unequal, were greatly improved—he grew more and more partial to the house and environs—never spoke of going away without a sigh— […]
    • 1823 April 14, Lord Byron, “Letter DXIV. To the Earl of B**.”, in Thomas Moore, editor, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: With Notices of His Life, […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], published 1830, OCLC 629975661, page 640:
      I am truly sorry that I cannot accompany you in your ride this morning, owing to a violent pain in my face, arising from a wart to which I by medical advice applied a caustic. Whether I put too much, I do not know, but the consequence is, that not only I have been put to some pain, but the peccant part and its immediate environ are as black as if the printer's devil had marked me for an author.
Derived terms
  • environage (archaic)
  • environal
  • environry (obsolete, rare)
Translations

References
  1. “envīrǒun, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. “† environ, adv. and prep.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2021.
  3. “envīrǒun, prep.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  4. “envīrǒunen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  5. “environ, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2022; “environ, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  6. “environ, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022.

Further reading

French

Etymology

From Old French environ (“around”), from en (“in”) +‎ viron (“a turn”), from virer (“to turn, veer”), whence also French virer.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ɑ̃.vi.ʁɔ̃/
  • audio(file)

Adverb

environ

  1. about, close to, around
    un salaire annuel d'environ 7 millions d'euros
    an annual salary of around 7 million euros
    Il y a dans ce coffre-fort environ trois mille francs, quatre mille francs
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    Il mesure environ un mètre.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Noun

environ m (plural environs)

  1. (especially in plural) a surrounding area

Derived terms
  • aux environs de

Further reading

Anagrams

Middle French

Adverb

environ

  1. about; around; roughly
  2. around
    • 1488, Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac, page 23:
      il regarda environ soy
      he look around him

Occitan

Pronunciation
  • Audio (Languedocien)(file)

Adverb

environ

  1. about, around, approximately

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Univerbation of en viron (“in circle”), the latter word ultimately from the verb virer (“to turn”).

Adverb

environ

  1. around
    1. surrounding
    2. about, roughly, approximately

References
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