WORD OF THE DAY
Terra firma is a Latin phrase, literally meaning "firm land." Nervous flyers are generally overjoyed to put their feet back on terra firma after a rough airplane flight.
Terra firma is used in literary and formal English, rather than everyday conversation, so save this phrase for when you’re writing a poem or delivering a dramatic speech. In the 1600s, terra firma primarily referred just to the section of Italy that was ruled by Venice at the time, but eventually it came to designate all of earth’s dry land, separate from the air or the oceans.
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Vocabulary lists containing terra firma
The ancients believed that the universe was composed of five basic elements: earth, air, fire, water, and sky. The Greek and Latin words for these elements still show up in our language today. Learn these words that come from the Latin word terra, meaning "earth." Here are links to our complete set of Elements of the Universe lists: Cosm, Cosmo ("Universe") / Terr, Terra ("Earth") / Geo ("Earth") / Hydr, Hydro ("Water") / Aqua ("Water") / Ign, Igni ("Fire") / Pyr, Pyro ("Fire") / Aer, Aero ("Air") / Aether ("Sky") / Aster, Astro ("Star") / Sol ("Sun")
Learn these foreign words, phrases, and expressions that are commonly used by speakers of English.
Learn these common words and phrases that English has borrowed directly from Latin. Bona fortunam!
The ancients believed that the universe was composed of five basic elements: earth, air, fire, water, and sky. The Greek and Latin words for these elements still show up in our language today. Learn these words that come from the Latin word terra, meaning "earth."
Learn these foreign words, phrases, and expressions that are commonly used by speakers of English.
