'atmosphere' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'atmosphaera', formed from Greek elements 'atmōs' and 'sphaira' where 'atmōs' meant 'vapor' and 'sphaira' meant 'sphere'.

'atmosphere' was formed in New Latin as 'atmosphaera' from Greek 'atmōs' + 'sphaira' in the 17th century and entered English via scientific usage; over time it became the standard English word 'atmosphere'.

Initially, it meant 'vapor sphere' (a sphere of vapor surrounding a body); over time it evolved to mean the 'layer of gases around a planet', and later gained figurative senses such as 'mood' and a technical sense as a unit of pressure.