word of the day: ambit

The word of the day is ambit:

Etymology:  < Latin ambit-us a going round, a compass; < amb- about + -itus going, < ī-re to go. 

1. A circuit, compass, or circumference. 

2. esp. A space surrounding a house, castle, town, etc.; the precincts, liberties, ‘verge’. 

3. The confines, bounds, limits of a district.

4. fig. Extent, compass, sphere, of actions, words, thoughts, etc. (OED)

"Two years earlier, in a commencement address at Xavier University, he discussed the importance of being able 'to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us—the child who’s hungry, the steelworker who’s been laid off, the family who lost the entire life they built together when the storm came to town.'  He went on, 'When you think like this—when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers—it becomes harder not to act, harder not to help.'"

 - Paul Bloom, quoting Barack Obama, "The baby in the well: the case against empathy", 20 May 2013 The New Yorker