See Also: Acosta, Uriel(encyclopedia)
Acosta's disease(medicine)
Acosta, Joseph de(medicine)
Llinares Acosta Inversiones, SICAV, S.A.(finance)

background (iou) and Acosta, Uriel (sh)


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.

Acosta, Uriel (sh)




orig. Gabriel da Costa

born งใ 1585, Oporto, Port.
died April 1640, Amsterdam, Neth.

Portuguese Jewish freethinker.

Born into a Marrano family, he came to feel that there was no salvation through the Roman Catholic church and converted to Judaism. His mother and brother also converted, and he and his family fled to Amsterdam. In 1616 he attacked rabbinic Judaism as nonbiblical and was excommunicated. When he enlarged on his criticisms in 1623-24, denying the immortality of the soul, he was arrested and fined. He recanted but was later excommunicated again. He recanted publicly in 1640, after which he wrote a short autobiography, Example of a Human Life, and shot himself.