Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The study of atmospherics, especially through the use of electronic detectors.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Electromagnetic pulses caused by atmospheric phenomena, such as lightning. Plural form of sferic.
  • noun Radio interference caused by sferics; atmospherics.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Shortening and alteration of atmospherics.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From atmospherics.

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Examples

  • Through a specially developed tweeter beam the high tone sound wave is projected to the ceiling inside the black cube where it reflects as sound figures and low red electromagnetic waves (as "whistlers" and "cracklers"), sferics and red luminous flashes.

    we make money not art 2010

  • An underground receiver could perhaps be built capable of detecting sferics from lightning bolts hitting the surface hundreds of miles away.

    The Register Team Register 2010

  • An underground receiver could perhaps be built capable of detecting sferics from lightning bolts hitting the surface hundreds of miles away.

    The Register Team Register 2010

  • There a three sources of click-like interference: switching relais, electrostatic discharges caused by snow drift, and sferics produced by thunderstorms ten thousands of kilometers away.

    Gizmodo 2010

  • There a three sources of click-like interference: switching relais, electrostatic discharges caused by snow drift, and sferics produced by thunderstorms ten thousands of kilometers away.

    DeGraeve.com Aside 2010

Comments

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  • alternate spelling: spherics, derived from atmospherics

    November 5, 2007

  • Oh it's time to write some lyrics

    About those darned old sferics

    But it's hard to wax rhapsodic in the rain.

    Midst the cold and drear and drizzle

    My poetry goes a-fizzle

    So I'll just slog until the sun attain.

    June 21, 2010