terra firma
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
terra + firma; Latin terra (“land”), Latin firma (“solid”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌtɛɹ.ə ˈfɜː.mə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌtɛɹ.ə ˈfɝ.mə/
Noun[edit]
terra firma (uncountable)
- Continental land, as distinguished from islands.
- (colloquial) Land, as opposed to water or air.
- 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VII:
- I […] turned the handle softly, pushed – also softly – and, carrying on into the interior, found myself confronted by a girl in housemaid's costume who put a hand to her throat like somebody in a play and leaped several inches in the direction of the ceiling. “Coo!” she said, having returned to terra firma and taken aboard a spot of breath. “You gave me a start, sir!”
- 2019 November 13, “Reize – Showdown Character Highlight”, in yachtclubgames.com[1], Yacht Club Games, archived from the original on November 27, 2020, Dive Kick:
- Reize is a floaty character (thanks to that scarf), so this kick can be great for quickly getting back to terra firma or to that game-winning gem!
Synonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
land, as opposed to water or air
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Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ters-
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰer-
- Latin compound words
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English multiword terms
- English colloquialisms
- English terms with quotations