Meanings
nounasthenosphere (plural asthenospheres)
plural asthenospheres
- geographyA portion of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere.
Holonyms: upper mantle, outer mantle < mantle < Earth
2 more examples
To say that the lithosphere floats on top of the asthenosphere suggests a degree of easy buoyancy that isn't quite right.
2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA, page 192The asthenosphere that underlies the surface plates is not liquid in any vernacular sense, although it is relatively plastic.
2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 79
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Hellenic*ə-
- Ancient Greekἀ- (a-)
- Ancient Greekσθένος (sthénos)
- Ancient Greekἀσθενής (asthenḗs)
- Englishastheno-
- Ancient Greekσφαῖρᾰ (sphaîră)
- Latinsphaera
- Late Latinsphēra
- Old Frenchsphere
- Middle Englishspere
- Englishsphere
- Englishasthenosphere
Translations
Catalan astenosfera
- astenosferathe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Finnish astenosfääri
- astenosfäärithe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
French asthénosphère
- asthénosphèrethe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
German Asthenosphäre
- Asthenosphärethe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Greek ασθενόσφαιρα
- ασθενόσφαιρα (asthenósfaira)the zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Irish astanaisféar
- astanaisféarthe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Italian astenosfera
- astenosferathe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Persian سستسپهر
- سستسپهر (sost-sepehr)the zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Polish astenosfera
- astenosferathe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Russian астеносфе́ра
- астеносфе́ра (astenosféra)the zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Spanish astenosfera
- astenosferathe zone of the Earth's upper mantle, below the lithosphere
Cite this entry
APA
asthenosphere. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asthenosphere
MLA
“asthenosphere.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asthenosphere. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “asthenosphere,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asthenosphere.
Source: asthenosphere on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.