Indo-European *h 2m̥b hi may have developed from *h 2n̥t-b hi, a frozen instrumental plural form of the noun *h 2ent- "front, face" (see ante-). The Latin prefix amb- is peculiar in that the expected linking vowel -i- never occurs before consonants it syncopates, with consequent assimilation: -b- drops, and -m- becomes -n- before non-labial sounds (see amplexus, amputate, ancilla, anfractuous). Send us feedback.īorrowed from Latin ambient-, ambiens, present participle of ambiō, ambīre "to visit in rotation, solicit (political support), seek to obtain, surround, encircle, embrace," from amb- "around, on both sides" + eō, īre "to go" amb- going back to Indo-European *h 2m̥b hi "around," whence also Germanic *umbi- (whence Old English ymbe "around, about," Old Frisian umbe, Old Saxon & Old High German umbi "around, about, concerning," Old Icelandic um, umb "around, about, beyond, over"), Gaulish ambi- "around (in names)," Old Irish imb, imm "around, about," Welsh & Breton am, Greek amphí "about, on both sides of," Armenian amb- (in ambołǰ "whole, intact"), Old Avestan aibī "for," Old Persian abiy "to, toward," Sanskrit abhí - more at issue entry 1 These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ambient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2020 If the ambient air is cooler, the material will solidify, insulating the wearer on the inside but matching the surrounding temperature on the outside.Ĭourtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 5 Mar.
2020 At Level C, a face mask connected to a filter strains hazardous particles out of the ambient air instead of totally replacing the supply with an SCBA or rebreather.
Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2020 Young kids need to be able to turn off the exterior ambient noise and just find calm, Ketchum said. 2020 For example, if your children are home and there is ambient noise during a videoconference call, most everyone will understand these days and take it in stride. Janhoi Mcgregor, Forbes, Electronic hearing protection is also designed to amplify low-level ambient sounds for better communication on the range. 2021 The smart display uses its Soli radar technology, microphones and the ambient and temperature sensors to measure your quality of sleep. 2022 Just before Scott came out, Lira said, the speakers blasted an ambient, humming noise, which stirred more panic inside her.
2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Each offers true adaptive noise canceling, smart ambient features, plus JBL’s big signature sound. 2022 The film’s ambient sound played a large role in pulling the viewer into the scene. Wendy Moonan, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2022 The life-size virtual mannequin generates an ambient sound (Stubblefield worked with Grammy Award-winning performers) and a light installation based on the artist’s photographs and films recorded from brainwave data. 2022 Noise-canceling earbuds block out exterior sounds, but some people prefer to hear ambient sound for safety reasons. 2022 Albini’s ability to capture natural, ambient sound helped Cobain stay connected with the band’s punk roots. Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, With Anne’s rising despair, her surroundings grow blurry, the ambient sound increasingly unintelligible.īonnie Johnson, Los Angeles Times, The ambient sound is a work by the Diné artist Raven Chacon, who recorded the humming background noise of a silent protest by women against the Dakota Access pipeline. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, Cycling between the ambient sound and ANC modes doesn't have an adverse effect on audio quality, either. Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective As well as offering high-quality speech, the Adapt 660 AMC has four more adaptive microphones that are used to monitor ambient sound to feed through to the ANC circuitry.