Adjacent Words

World definitions

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CIA World Factbook, 2008

Background
Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war).

Map references
total: 510.072 million sq km land: 148.94 million sq km water: 361.132 million sq km note: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land

Area - comparative
note: 44 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked

Coastline
note: 94 nations and other entities are islands that border no other countries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Baker Island, Barbados, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island, Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka, Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, Taiwan

Maritime claims
lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources
arable land: 13.31% permanent crops: 4.71% other: 81.98% (2005)

Irrigated land
0-14 years: 27.4% (male 931,551,498/female 875,646,416) 15-64 years: 65.1% (male 2,174,605,518/female 2,124,494,703) 65 years and over: 7.5% (male 217,451,123/female 278,474,917) (2007 est.)

Median age
total: 28 years male: 27.4 years female: 28.7 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.064 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.781 male(s)/female total population: 1.014 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
total: 43.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 46.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 65.82 years male: 63.89 years female: 67.84 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate
note: percents are for "first language" speakers only

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82% male: 87% female: 77% note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.)

Administrative divisions
agriculture: 4% industry: 32% services: 64% (2007 est.)

Labor force
agriculture: 40.2% industry: 20.8% services: 39% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate
lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 29.9% (2002 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)
note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt, both public and private (2004 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares
general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA

Radio broadcast stations
total: 1,370,782 km (2006)

Roadways
total: 32,345,165 km paved: 19,403,061 km unpaved: 12,942,104 km (2002)

Waterways
current situation: about 600,000 to 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not including millions trafficked within their own countries; at least 80% of the victims are female; 75% of all victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation; roughly two-thirds of the global victims are trafficked intra-regionally within East Asia and the Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and Europe and Eurasia (170,000 to 210,000 people) Tier 2 Watch List: Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Cyprus, Dijbouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Fiji, The Gambia, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Libya, Macau, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates Tier 3: Algeria, Bahrain, Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

Illicit drugs
cocaine: worldwide coca leaf cultivation in 2005 amounted to 208,500 hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of the worldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure cocaine production rose to 900 from 645 metric tons in 2005 - partially due to improved methodologies used to calculate levels of production; Colombia conducts aggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and Bolivian Governments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing areas; 551 metric tons of export-quality cocaine (85% pure) is documented to have been seized or destroyed in 2005; US consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been in excess of 380 metric tons opiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation reached 208,500 hectares in 2005; potential opium production of 4,990 metric tons was only a 9% decrease over 2004's highest total recorded since estimates began in mid-1980s; Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting for 90% of the global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 9% of global opium - saw marginal increases in production; Latin America produced 1% of global opium, but most was refined into heroin destined for the US market; if all potential opium was processed into pure heroin, the potential global production would be 577 metric tons of heroin in 2005

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WORLD, n. [This seems to be a compound word, and probably is named from roundness, the vault; but this is not certain.]
1. The universe; the whole system of created globes or vast bodies of matter.
2. The earth; the terraqueous globe; sometimes called the lower world.
3. The heavens; as when we speak of the heavenly world, or upper world.
4. System of beings; or the orbs which occupy space, and all the beings which inhabit them. Hebrews 11.
God--hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things; by whom also he made the worlds. Hebrews 1.
There may be other worlds, where the inhabitants have never violated their allegiance to their Almighty sovereign.
5. Present state of existence; as while we are in the world.
Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world. Psalms 73.
6. A secular life. By the world we sometimes understand the things of this world, its pleasures and interests. A great part of mankind are more anxious to enjoy the world to than secure divine favor.
7. Public life, or society; as banished from the world.
8. Business or trouble of life.
From this world-wearied flesh.
9. A great multitude or quantity; as a world of business; a world of charms.
10. Mankind; people in general; in an indefinite sense. Let the world see your fortitude.
Whose disposition, all the world well knows--
11. Course of life. He begins the world with little property, but with many friends.
12. Universal empire.
This through the east just vengeance hurld, and lost poor Antony the world.
13. The customs and manners of men; the practice of life. A knowledge of the world is necessary for a man of business; it is essential to politeness.
14. All the world contains.
Had I a thousand worlds, I would give them all for one year more to devote to God.
15. The principal nations or countries of the earth. Alexander conquered the world.
16. The Roman empire.
17. A large tract of country; a wide compass of things.
I must descry new worlds.
18. The inhabitants of the earth; the whole human race. John 3.
19. The carnal state or corruption of the earth; as the present evil world; the course of this world. Galatians 1. Ephesians 2.
20. The ungodly part of the world.
I pray not for the world, but for them that thou hast given men. John 17.
21. Time; as in the phrase, world without end.
22. A collection of wonders. [Not in use.]
In the world, in possibility. [All the precaution in the world would not save him.]
For all the world,
1. Exactly. [Little used.]
2. For any consideration.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: involving the entire earth; not limited or provincial in scope; "global war"; "global monetary policy"; "neither national nor continental but planetary"; "a world crisis"; "of worldwide significance" [syn: global, planetary, world, worldwide, world-wide] n
1: everything that exists anywhere; "they study the evolution of the universe"; "the biggest tree in existence" [syn: universe, existence, creation, world, cosmos, macrocosm]
2: people in general; especially a distinctive group of people with some shared interest; "the Western world" [syn: world, domain]
3: all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you; "his world was shattered"; "we live in different worlds"; "for them demons were as much a part of reality as trees were" [syn: world, reality]
4: the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on; "the Earth moves around the sun"; "he sailed around the world" [syn: Earth, earth, world, globe]
5: people in general considered as a whole; "he is a hero in the eyes of the public" [syn: populace, public, world]
6: a part of the earth that can be considered separately; "the outdoor world"; "the world of insects"
7: the concerns of this life as distinguished from heaven and the afterlife; "they consider the church to be independent of the world" [syn: worldly concern, earthly concern, world, earth]
8: all of the living human inhabitants of the earth; "all the world loves a lover"; "she always used `humankind' because `mankind' seemed to slight the women" [syn: world, human race, humanity, humankind, human beings, humans, mankind, man]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English woruld human existence, this world, age (akin to Old High German weralt age, world); akin to Old English wer man, eald old — more at virile, old Date: before 12th century 1. a. the earthly state of human existence b. life after death — used with a qualifier <the next world> 2. the earth with its inhabitants and all things upon it 3. individual course of life ; career 4. the inhabitants of the earth ; the human race 5. a. the concerns of the earth and its affairs as distinguished from heaven and the life to come b. secular affairs 6. the system of created things ; universe 7. a. a division or generation of the inhabitants of the earth distinguished by living together at the same place or at the same time <the medieval world> b. a distinctive class of persons or their sphere of interest or activity <the academic world> <the digital world> 8. human society <withdraw from the world> 9. a part or section of the earth that is a separate independent unit 10. the sphere or scene of one's life and action <living in your own little world> 11. an indefinite multitude or a great quantity or distance <makes a world of difference> <a world away> 12. the whole body of living persons ; public <announced their discovery to the world> 13. kingdom 5 <the animal world> 14. a celestial body (as a planet) II. adjective Date: 12th century 1. of or relating to the world <a world championship> 2. a. extending or found throughout the world ; worldwide <brought about world peace> b. involving or applying to part of or the whole world <a world tour> <a world state> c. internationally recognized ; renowned, distinguished <a world authority on gemstones>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a the earth, or a planetary body like it. b its countries and their inhabitants. c all people; the earth as known or in some particular respect. 2 a the universe or all that exists; everything. b everything that exists outside oneself (dead to the world). 3 a the time, state, or scene of human existence. b (prec. by the, this) mortal life. 4 secular interests and affairs. 5 human affairs; their course and conditions; active life (how goes the world with you?). 6 average, respectable, or fashionable people or their customs or opinions. 7 all that concerns or all who belong to a specified class, time, domain, or sphere of activity (the medieval world; the world of sport). 8 (foll. by of) a vast amount (that makes a world of difference). 9 (attrib.) affecting many nations, of all nations (world politics; a world champion). Phrases and idioms: all the world and his wife 1 any large mixed gathering of people. 2 all with pretensions to fashion. bring into the world give birth to or attend at the birth of. carry the world before one have rapid and complete success. come into the world be born. for all the world (foll. by like, as if) precisely (looked for all the world as if they were real). get the best of both worlds benefit from two incompatible sets of ideas, circumstances, etc. in the world of all; at all (used as an intensifier in questions) (what in the world is it?). man (or woman) of the world a person experienced and practical in human affairs. the next (or other) world a supposed life after death. out of this world colloq. extremely good etc. (the food was out of this world). see the world travel widely; gain wide experience. think the world of have a very high regard for. World Bank colloq. the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, an organization administering economic aid between member nations. world-beater a person or thing surpassing all others. world-class of a quality or standard regarded as high throughout the world. World Cup a competition between football or other sporting teams from various countries. world-famous known throughout the world. the world, the flesh, and the devil the various kinds of temptation. world language 1 an artificial language for international use. 2 a language spoken in many countries. world-line Physics a curve in space-time joining the positions of a particle throughout its existence. the (or all the) world over throughout the world. world power a nation having power and influence in world affairs. the world's end the farthest attainable point of travel. World Series the US championship for baseball teams. world-shaking of supreme importance. the world to come supposed life after death. world-view = WELTANSCHAUUNG. world war a war involving many important nations (First World War of 1914-18; Second World War of 1939-45). world-weariness being world-weary. world-weary weary of the world and life on it. world without end for ever. Etymology: OE w(e)orold, world f. a Gmc root meaning 'age': rel. to OLD

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

World World, n. [OE. world, werld, weorld, weoreld, AS. weorold, worold; akin to OS. werold, D. wereld, OHG. weralt, worolt, werolt, werlt, G. welt, Icel. ver["o]ld, Sw. verld, Dan. verden; properly, the age of man, lifetime, humanity; AS. wer a man + a word akin to E. old; cf. AS. yld lifetime, age, ylde men, humanity. Cf. Werewolf, Old.] 1. The earth and the surrounding heavens; the creation; the system of created things; existent creation; the universe. The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. --Rom. 1. 20. With desire to know, What nearer might concern him, how this world Of heaven and earth conspicuous first began. --Milton. 2. Any planet or heavenly body, especially when considered as inhabited, and as the scene of interests analogous with human interests; as, a plurality of worlds. ``Lord of the worlds above.'' --I. Watts. Amongst innumerable stars, that shone Star distant, but high-hand seemed other worlds. --Milton. There may be other worlds, where the inhabitants have never violated their allegiance to their almighty Sovereign. --W. B. Sprague. 3. The earth and its inhabitants, with their concerns; the sum of human affairs and interests. That forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe. --Milton. 4. In a more restricted sense, that part of the earth and its concerns which is known to any one, or contemplated by any one; a division of the globe, or of its inhabitants; human affairs as seen from a certain position, or from a given point of view; also, state of existence; scene of life and action; as, the Old World; the New World; the religious world; the Catholic world; the upper world; the future world; the heathen world. One of the greatest in the Christian world Shall be my surety. --Shak. Murmuring that now they must be put to make war beyond the world's end -- for so they counted Britain. --Milton. 5. The customs, practices, and interests of men; general affairs of life; human society; public affairs and occupations; as, a knowledge of the world. Happy is she that from the world retires. --Waller. If knowledge of the world makes man perfidious, May Juba ever live in ignorance. --Addison. 6. Individual experience of, or concern with, life; course of life; sum of the affairs which affect the individual; as, to begin the world with no property; to lose all, and begin the world anew. 7. The inhabitants of the earth; the human race; people in general; the public; mankind. Since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it. --Shak. Tell me, wench, how will the world repute me For undertaking so unstaid a journey? --Shak. 8. The earth and its affairs as distinguished from heaven; concerns of this life as distinguished from those of the life to come; the present existence and its interests; hence, secular affairs; engrossment or absorption in the affairs of this life; worldly corruption; the ungodly or wicked part of mankind. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. --John xvii. 9. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. --1 John ii. 15, 16. 9. As an emblem of immensity, a great multitude or quantity; a large number. ``A world of men.'' --Chapman. ``A world of blossoms for the bee.'' --Bryant. Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company. --Shak. A world of woes dispatched in little space. --Dryden. All . . . in the world, all that exists; all that is possible; as, all the precaution in the world would not save him. A world to see, a wonder to see; something admirable or surprising to see. [Obs.] O, you are novices; 't is a world to see How tame, when men and women are alone, A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew. --Shak. For all the world. (a) Precisely; exactly. (b) For any consideration. Seven wonders of the world. See in the Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction. To go to the world, to be married. [Obs.] ``Thus goes every one to the world but I . . .; I may sit in a corner and cry heighho for a husband!'' --Shak. World's end, the end, or most distant part, of the world; the remotest regions. World without end, eternally; forever; everlastingly; as if in a state of existence having no end. Throughout all ages, world without end. --Eph. iii. 21.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(worlds) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. The world is the planet that we live on. It's a beautiful part of the world... The satellite enables us to calculate their precise location anywhere in the world. N-SING: the N 2. The world refers to all the people who live on this planet, and our societies, institutions, and ways of life. The world was, and remains, shocked... He wants to show the world that anyone can learn to be an ambassador. ...his personal contribution to world history. N-SING: the N, N n 3. You can use world to describe someone or something that is one of the most important or significant of its kind on earth. Abroad, Mr Bush was seen as a world statesman... China has once again emerged as a world power... ADJ: ADJ n 4. You can use world in expressions such as the Arab world, the western world, and the ancient world to refer to a particular group of countries or a particular period in history. Athens had strong ties to the Arab world. ...the developing world... N-SING: the supp N 5. Someone's world is the life they lead, the people they have contact with, and the things they experience. His world seemed so different from mine... I lost my job and it was like my world collapsed... N-COUNT: oft poss N 6. You can use world to refer to a particular field of activity, and the people involved in it. The publishing world had certainly never seen an event quite like this. N-SING: the N, with supp, oft N of n 7. You can use world to refer to a particular group of living things, for example the animal world, the plant world, and the insect world. = kingdom N-SING: the n N 8. A world is a planet. He looked like something from another world... N-COUNT 9. see also brave new world, New World, real world, Third World 10. If you say that two people or things are worlds apart, you are emphasizing that they are very different from each other. Intellectually, this man and I are worlds apart... PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, oft PHR from n [emphasis] 11. If you say that someone has the best of both worlds, you mean that they have only the benefits of two things and none of the disadvantages. Her living room provides the best of both worlds, with an office at one end and comfortable sofas at the other. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR 12. If you say that something has done someone the world of good or a world of good, you mean that it has made them feel better or improved their life. (INFORMAL) A sleep will do you the world of good. PHRASE: V inflects 13. You use in the world to emphasize a statement that you are making. The saddest thing in the world is a little baby nobody wants... He had no one in the world but her. PHRASE: oft PHR after superl [emphasis] 14. You can use in the world in expressions such as what in the world and who in the world to emphasize a question, especially when expressing surprise or anger. What in the world is he doing?... PHRASE: quest PHR [emphasis] 15. You can use in an ideal world or in a perfect world when you are talking about things that you would like to happen, although you realize that they are not likely to happen. In a perfect world, there would be the facilities and money to treat every sick person. = ideally PHRASE: PHR with cl 16. If you say that someone is a man of the world or a woman of the world, you mean that they are experienced and know about the practical or social aspects of life, and are not easily shocked by immoral or dishonest actions. Look, we are both men of the world, would anyone really mind? ...an elegant, clever and tough woman of the world. PHRASE: man/woman inflects 17. If you say that something is out of this world, you are emphasizing that it is extremely good or impressive. (INFORMAL) These new trains are out of this world. PHRASE: v-link PHR [emphasis] 18. You can use the outside world to refer to all the people who do not live in a particular place or who are not involved in a particular situation. For many, the post office is the only link with the outside world... PHRASE 19. If you think the world of someone, you like them or care about them very much. I think the world of him, but something tells me it's not love... We were really close. We thought the world of each other. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 20. not be the end of the world: see end the world is your oyster: see oyster on top of the world: see top

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Universe, cosmos, creation, nature. 2. Earth, globe, terraqueous globe or ball. 3. Planet, heavenly body. 4. Life, things, human affairs, secular affairs, affairs of life, social life, ways of men, course of things, stream of time. 5. Public, society, people, men, mankind, human race. 6. Natural order, unspiritualized order, natural man, unregenerate man or order.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

All the world and his wife; every body, a great company.

Moby Thesaurus

Africa, America, Antipodes, Asia, Asia Major, Asia Minor, Australasia, Copernican universe, Earth, East, Eastern Hemisphere, Einsteinian universe, Eurasia, Europe, Everyman, Far East, Gaea, Ge, John Doe, Levant, Middle East, Near East, New World, Newtonian universe, Occident, Oceania, Old World, Orient, Ptolemaic universe, Public, Tellus, Terra, West, Western Hemisphere, abundance, acres, all, all being, all creation, allness, bags, barrels, biosphere, body politic, bushel, citizenry, common man, commonwealth, community, community at large, continent, copiousness, cosmos, countlessness, created nature, created universe, creation, down under, eastland, estate, everybody, everyman, everyone, everything that is, everywoman, expanding universe, flood, folk, folks, general public, gentry, geography, geosphere, globe, landmass, load, macrocosm, macrocosmos, mass, megacosm, men, metagalaxy, mother earth, mountain, much, multitude, nation, nationality, nature, numerousness, ocean, oceans, omneity, peck, people, people in general, persons, plenitude, plenty, plenum, polity, populace, population, profusion, public, pulsating universe, quantities, quantity, sea, sidereal universe, society, spate, state, steady-state universe, sum of things, superabundance, superfluity, system, terra, terrestrial globe, the blue planet, the old country, this pendent world, tons, totality, totality of being, universe, vale, vale of tears, volume, whole wide world, wide world, world without end, worlds, you and me