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terroir

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French terroir.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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terroir (countable and uncountable, plural terroirs)

  1. (viticulture) The complete set of local conditions in which a particular wine or family of wines is produced, including soil type, weather conditions, topography, and wine-making savoir-faire.
    • 2014, Diego Tomasi, Federica Gaiotti, Gregory V. Jones, The Power of the Terroir: the Case Study of Prosecco Wine, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 2:
      The concept of terroir summarises in a synthetic, effective way the genetic-environmental and human conditions that constitute the foundation for the production of a wine that can convey the above characteristics of naturalness and genuineness (Fig 1.1).
    • 2023 July 13, Paul Simms, “A Night Out with the Guys” (7:04 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎[1], season 5, episode 2, spoken by Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry):
      “It's got an ass-load of terroir.” “The fuck do you know, terroir?” “What do you mean?”

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Translations

Further reading

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Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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From late Old French tieroir, terroir, inherited from Vulgar Latin *terratorium, from Classical Latin territorium, from Latin terra (“land”). Doublet of territoire, which was borrowed.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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terroir m (plural terroirs)

  1. (collectively) Area of natural land considered in terms of agriculture.
    • 1759, Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet), quoting Charles Theodore, Elector-Palatine, “De Charles-Théodore, électeur palatin. [From Charles Theodore, Elector-Palatine]”, in Garnier Frères, compiler, Correspondance de Voltaire [Voltaire's Correspondance], volume 40, published 1880, Lettre 3788, page 44:
      Profitez cette année des fleurs d’orange, car il ne me paraît pas encore que le terroir d’Allemagne soit disposé à porter beaucoup d’olives.
      Make the most of the orange blossoms this year, since it doesn't seem to me that the German soil would be ready to bear many olives yet.
    1. Expanse of natural land or soil possessing shared physical properties which affect how it can be exploited.
      terroir de graviers
      gravelly soil
      Near-synonyms: sol, terre
    2. Geographic area or region encompassing cultivated land characterized by a unique combination of agricultural, cultural and historical properties.
      le terroir de vallée du Rhône
      the land of the Rhône Valley
      Les terroirs de Franche-Comté sont connus pour leurs fromages.
      The agricultural lands of Franche-Comté are famous for their cheeses.
    3. (historical) The extent of land cultivated by a rural community.
  2. (informal) Area considered in terms of local particularities in culture and tradition; region.
    accent du terroir
    regional accent
  3. (informal, slightly dated) An individual's place of origin; homeland; background.
    • 1842, Théophile Gautier, “Prologue de Falstaff [Prologue to Falstaff]”, in Maurice Dreyfous, Georges Charpentier, compilers, Théâtre, published 1882, page 205, lines 24-27:
      Anglais, de leur terroir ils ont gardé le goût, / et, sans être gênés par les rimes françaises, / les coudes sur la table, ils vont prendre leurs aises: / vous les excuserez s’ils ne sont pas parfaits.
      The English, they have kept the qualities of their homeland, / and, without being hindered by French verse, / they make themselves comfortable with their elbows on the table: / you must excuse them if they are not perfect.
  4. (chiefly poetic or archaic) Domain, estate; territory.
    • 1862, Leconte de Lisle, Charles Marie René, “Un Acte de charité [An Act of Charity]”, in Alphonse Lemerre, editor, Poèmes barbares, published 1902, page 283, lines 23-26:
      Et le Maudit put voir des repas sacrilèges / où les enfants d’Adam se dévoraient entre eux. / Donc, en ces temps damnés, une très noble Dame / vivait en son terroir, près la cité de Meaux.
      And the Devil could watch blasphemous banquets where the children of Adam devoured one another. Thus, in those forsaken times, a very noble Lady lived in her domain, near the city of Meaux.
  5. (alt-right politics) The traditional pastoral landscape exemplifying the nation-state.

Usage notes

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  • Not to be confused with territoire or terre; although they appear similar and are etymologically related, terroir has a more specific meaning that does not completely overlap with either.
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Further reading

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