See Also: Background(money)
background(dictionary)
background(dictionary)
background level(medicine)
background radiation(medicine)
background retinopathy(medicine)
Background Retinopathy(health)
cosmic background radiation(encyclopedia)

background (iou)



background noun & verb. L17.
[from BACK adjective + GROUND noun.]
A. noun.
The ground or surface lying at the back of or behind the chief objects and foreground in a scene, picture, or description. L17.
R. B. Sheridan Elvira walks about pensively in the background. J. Hedgecoe The most convenient way to photograph a silhouette is to position the subject some distance in front of a white background.
fig. A less prominent position; obscurity, retirement. L18.
Ld Macaulay Political friends thought it best..that he should remain in the background.
fig. Surroundings, ambience, the prevailing circumstances; esp. (information about) events or facts regarded as a basis on which more particular matters may be considered or apprehended. M19.
J. le Carre He told you about Mundt; gave you the background? attrib.: M. Innes Do some background reading in published sources.
fig. A person's cultural knowledge, education, experience, environment, etc.; social surroundings. E20.
C. Jackson Who they are and where they came fromtheir backgrounds, I mean. T. Stoppard Do you find it incredible that a man with a scientific background should be Archbishop of Canterbury?
Adventitious radio, sound, etc., signals; the normal level of radioactivity, electromagnetic radiation, or other phenomena, arising from natural sources. E20.
J. Narlikar Penzias and Wilson found a radiation background which was isotropic..and which corresponded to a black body temperature of 3.5K.
Music or sound-effects used as an accompaniment, esp. to a film or broadcast programme. E20.
L. Feather Vocals..with fine backgrounds and solos by Bird.
Comb.: background heater, background heating a heater, heating, intended for general warmth; background music music played in the background; esp. music accompanying a film etc. (cf. sense 6 above); background noise noise in the background; esp. adventitious radio etc. signals (cf. sense 5 above).
b. verb trans.
Form a background to. M18.
Put in the background. Chiefly fig., treat as unimportant, give no emphasis to. L19.
Provide with background information or knowledge. M20.
backgrounder noun (N. Amer.) an official briefing or hand-out giving background information M20.