firm

See also: Firm.

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɜɹm/, [fɝm]

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɜːm/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)m

Etymology 1

From Italian firma (“signature”), from firmare (“to sign”), from Latin firmare (“to make firm, to confirm (by signature)”), from firmus (“firm, stable”). The contemporary sense developed in the 18th century simultaneously with German Firma (“business, name of business”). There are conflicting statements in the literature as to which of the two languages influenced which.

Noun

firm (plural firms)

1. (Britain, business) A business partnership; the name under which it trades.
2. (business, economics) A business enterprise, however organized.
   • 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:

     Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. […] Banks and credit-card firms are kept out of the picture. Talk to enough people in the field and someone is bound to mention the “democratisation of finance”.

3. (slang) A criminal gang, especially based around football hooliganism.

Translations

business partnership

• Finnish: toiminimi

• Russian: фи́рма f (fírma)

business enterprise, however organized

• Finnish: yritys (fi); firma (informal)
• French: entreprise (fr) f

• Russian: фи́рма f (fírma)

criminal gang

• Finnish: firma

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} شَرِكَة تِجَارِيَّة‎ f (šarika tijāriyya)
• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} фирма (bg) f (firma)
• Catalan: ^{(please verify)} firma (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 企業 (zh), ^{(please verify)} 企业 (zh) (qǐyè), ^{(please verify)} 事務所 (zh), ^{(please verify)} 事务所 (zh) (shìwùsuǒ)

• Czech: ^{(please verify)} firma (cs) f
• Danish: ^{(please verify)} firma (da) n
• German: ^{(please verify)} Firma (de) f
• Greek: ^{(please verify)} εταιρία (el) f (etairía), ^{(please verify)} επιχείρηση (el) f (epicheírisi)
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} חברה‎ (he) f (khevrá), ^{(please verify)} עסק‎ m (éseq)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} firma (is) f, ^{(please verify)} fyrirtæki (is) n

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} comhlacht m, ^{(please verify)} gnólacht m
• Manx: ^{(please verify)} colught m
• Polish: ^{(please verify)} firma (pl) f
• Portuguese: ^{(please verify)} firma (pt) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} твртка, ^{(please verify)} фирма f

  Roman: ^{(please verify)} tvrtka (sh) f, ^{(please verify)} firma (sh) f

• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} podjetje n, ^{(please verify)} firma f
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} bahay-kalakal
• Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} фі́рма (fírma)
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} fiam (vo)

Etymology 2

Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus (“strong, steady”).

Adjective

firm (comparative firmer, superlative firmest)

1. steadfast, secure, hard (in position)

   It's good to have a firm grip when shaking hands.

2. fixed (in opinion)

   a firm believer; a firm friend; a firm adherent

   • He was firm that selling his company would a good choice and didn't let anyone talk him out of it.
   • 2012 May 9, John Percy, “Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report”, in the Telegraph‎^[1]:

     With such constant off-field turmoil Hughton’s work has been remarkable and this may have been his last game in charge. West Bromwich Albion, searching for a replacement for Roy Hodgson, are firm admirers.

3. solid, rigid (material state)

   firm flesh; firm muscles, firm wood; firm land (i.e. not soft and marshy)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• firmish
• firmly
• firmness

• firm up
• firmware

Translations

steadfast, secure (position)

• Armenian: անսասան (hy) (ansasan)
• Bulgarian: стабилен (bg) (stabilen)
• Catalan: ferm (ca)
• Estonian: kindel (et)
• Finnish: vakaa (fi), vankka (fi), jämerä (fi)
• German: befestigt (de), fest, fixiert
• Greek: σταθερός (el) m (statherós), στιβαρός (el) m (stivarós)

  Ancient: βέβαιος (bébaios)

• Hebrew: יציב‎ (he) m (yatsív)
• Indonesian: teguh (id)
• Irish: diongbháilte

• Latgalian: styngrys
• Latin: firmus m
• Latvian: stingrs
• Maori: whena
• Portuguese: firme (pt)
• Russian: кре́пкий (ru) (krépkij), твёрдый (ru) (tvjórdyj), про́чный (ru) (próčnyj), усто́йчивый (ru) (ustójčivyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: cunbhalach, seasmhach
• Slovene: čvrst
• Spanish: firme (es)
• Sundanese: keyeng (su)
• Ukrainian: стійки́й (stijkýj)

fixed (in opinions)

• Bulgarian: твърд (bg) (tvǎrd), неотстъпчив (bg) (neotstǎpčiv)
• Catalan: ferm (ca)
• Czech: nepoddajný
• Estonian: veendunud
• Finnish: vakuuttunut
• Greek: αμετακίνητος (el) m (ametakínitos), ακράδαντος (el) m (akrádantos)
• Hebrew: יציב‎ (he) m (yatsív)
• Italian: ferreo (it)

• Latin: firmus
• Latvian: stingrs
• Portuguese: firme (pt)
• Russian: непоколеби́мый (ru) (nepokolebímyj), непрекло́нный (ru) (nepreklónnyj), реши́тельный (ru) (rešítelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: seasmhach
• Sundanese: keyeng (su)
• Ukrainian: непохи́тний (nepoxýtnyj)

solid, rigid (material state)

• Bulgarian: твърд (bg) (tvǎrd), корав (bg) (korav)
• Catalan: ferm (ca)
• Czech: tvrdý (cs), pevný (cs)
• Finnish: vankka (fi), luja (fi), tukeva (fi)
• German: fest (de)
• Greek: στέρεος (el) m (stéreos), στερεός (el) m (stereós), γερός (el) m (gerós)

  Ancient Greek: στερεός (stereós)

• Hebrew: קשיח‎ m (kashíah), צפיד‎ m (tsafíd)
• Latin: firmus

• Latvian: stings, stingrs
• Portuguese: firme (pt)
• Russian: твёрдый (ru) (tvjórdyj)
• Slovene: trd (sl), čvrst
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: kšuty

• Spanish: firme (es)
• Ukrainian: тверди́й (tverdýj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Norman: ^{(please verify)} fèrme (Jersey)

Verb

firm (third-person singular simple present firms, present participle firming, simple past and past participle firmed)

1. (transitive) To make firm or strong; fix securely.
2. (transitive) To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify.
3. (intransitive) To become firm; stabilise.
4. (intransitive) To improve after decline.
5. (intransitive, Australia) To shorten (of betting odds).
6. (transitive, Britain, slang) To select (a higher education institution) as one's preferred choice, so as to enrol automatically if one's grades match the conditional offer.

Translations

to make firm or strong

• Bulgarian: втвърдявам (bg) (vtvǎrdjavam)
• Czech: upevnit
• Finnish: lujittaa (fi)
• Greek: σταθεροποιώ (el) (statheropoió)

• Portuguese: firmar (pt)
• Slovene: utrditi, učvrstiti
• Spanish: afirmar (es)

to fix securely

• Bulgarian: закрепвам (bg) (zakrepvam), фиксирам (bg) (fiksiram)
• Finnish: varmistaa (fi), kiinnittää lujasti
• Greek: στερεώνω (el) (stereóno)

• Portuguese: firmar (pt)
• Slovene: utrditi, učvrstiti

to solidify

• Bulgarian: втвърдявам (bg) (vtvǎrdjavam)
• Finnish: lujittaa (fi)

• Greek: στερεώνω (el) (stereóno)
• Slovene: utrditi

to become firm

• Bulgarian: втвърдявам се (vtvǎrdjavam se)
• Czech: ztvrdnout

• Finnish: lujittua
• Greek: σταθεροποιούμαι (el) (statheropoioúmai), στεριώνω (el) (sterióno)

to improve after decline

• Finnish: vahvistua

• Greek: σταθεροποιούμαι (el) (statheropoioúmai)

Australian, betting: to shorten — see shorten

Further reading

• Firm in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• FRIM, fMRI, frim

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German

Etymology

From Latin firmus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [fɪʁm]

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

firm (comparative firmer, superlative am firmsten)

1. experienced, well versed

Declension

Positive forms of firm

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist firm	sie ist firm	es ist firm	sie sind firm
strong declension (without article)	nominative	firmer	firme	firmes	firme
	genitive	firmen	firmer	firmen	firmer
	dative	firmem	firmer	firmem	firmen
	accusative	firmen	firme	firmes	firme
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der firme	die firme	das firme	die firmen
	genitive	des firmen	der firmen	des firmen	der firmen
	dative	dem firmen	der firmen	dem firmen	den firmen
	accusative	den firmen	die firme	das firme	die firmen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein firmer	eine firme	ein firmes	(keine) firmen
	genitive	eines firmen	einer firmen	eines firmen	(keiner) firmen
	dative	einem firmen	einer firmen	einem firmen	(keinen) firmen
	accusative	einen firmen	eine firme	ein firmes	(keine) firmen

Comparative forms of firm

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist firmer	sie ist firmer	es ist firmer	sie sind firmer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	firmerer	firmere	firmeres	firmere
	genitive	firmeren	firmerer	firmeren	firmerer
	dative	firmerem	firmerer	firmerem	firmeren
	accusative	firmeren	firmere	firmeres	firmere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der firmere	die firmere	das firmere	die firmeren
	genitive	des firmeren	der firmeren	des firmeren	der firmeren
	dative	dem firmeren	der firmeren	dem firmeren	den firmeren
	accusative	den firmeren	die firmere	das firmere	die firmeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein firmerer	eine firmere	ein firmeres	(keine) firmeren
	genitive	eines firmeren	einer firmeren	eines firmeren	(keiner) firmeren
	dative	einem firmeren	einer firmeren	einem firmeren	(keinen) firmeren
	accusative	einen firmeren	eine firmere	ein firmeres	(keine) firmeren

Superlative forms of firm

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist am firmsten	sie ist am firmsten	es ist am firmsten	sie sind am firmsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	firmster	firmste	firmstes	firmste
	genitive	firmsten	firmster	firmsten	firmster
	dative	firmstem	firmster	firmstem	firmsten
	accusative	firmsten	firmste	firmstes	firmste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der firmste	die firmste	das firmste	die firmsten
	genitive	des firmsten	der firmsten	des firmsten	der firmsten
	dative	dem firmsten	der firmsten	dem firmsten	den firmsten
	accusative	den firmsten	die firmste	das firmste	die firmsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein firmster	eine firmste	ein firmstes	(keine) firmsten
	genitive	eines firmsten	einer firmsten	eines firmsten	(keiner) firmsten
	dative	einem firmsten	einer firmsten	einem firmsten	(keinen) firmsten
	accusative	einen firmsten	eine firmste	ein firmstes	(keine) firmsten

Further reading

• firm in Duden online

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Polish

Noun

firm f

1. genitive plural of firma