background

noun

1.
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
2.
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
3.
information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem
Derived from:
backgrounder
4.
extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured
5.
relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation
Derived from:
background
6.
the state of the environment in which a situation exists
7.
(computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear
8.
scenery hung at back of stage