Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Terra \Ter"ra\, n. [It. & L. See Terrace.] The earth; earth.
Terra alba [L., white earth] (Com.), a white amorphous earthy substance consisting of burnt gypsum, aluminium silicate (kaolin), or some similar ingredient, as magnesia. It is sometimes used to adulterate certain foods, spices, candies, paints, etc.
Terra cotta. [It., fr. terra earth + cotta, fem. of cotto cooked, L. coctus, p. p. of coquere to cook. See Cook, n.] Baked clay; a kind of hard pottery used for statues, architectural decorations, figures, vases, and the like.
Terr[ae] filius [L., son of the earth], formerly, one appointed to write a satirical Latin poem at the public acts in the University of Oxford; -- not unlike the prevaricator at Cambridge, England.
Terra firma [L.], firm or solid earth, as opposed to water.
Terra Japonica. [NL.] Same as Gambier. It was formerly supposed to be a kind of earth from Japan.
Terra Lemnia [L., Lemnian earth], Lemnian earth. See under Lemnian.
Terra ponderosa [L., ponderous earth] (Min.), barite, or heavy spar.
Terra di Sienna. See Sienna.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
c.1600, "part of the Italian mainland ruled by Venice," from Modern Latin terra firma, literally "firm land," from Latin terra "earth, land" (see terrain) + firma, fem. of firmus "strong, steadfast" (see firm (adj.)). Meaning "the land" (as distinct from "the sea") is first attested 1690s. Hakluyt and Sandys also used English firm (n.) to mean "the firm land, the mainland, terra firma."
Wiktionary
n. land, as opposed to water or air.
WordNet
n. the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the ground" [syn: land, dry land, earth, ground, solid ground]
Wikipedia
Terra Firma is a Swedish stoner metal band which was formed by Fredrik Lindgren after leaving Unleashed and with Lord Chritus a.k.a. Christian Lindersson, who used to sing in the Swedish band Count Raven and Los Angeles based band Saint Vitus. Terra Firma would later break up and Fredrik would start a new band called Harms Way. Terra Firma also featured the band members Izmo Hedlund on Drums and Nico Moosebeach on bass who would later move onto Entombed. The band recorded 2 full length albums, a couple of vinyl singles and appeared on a couple of compilation CDs and split 7" vinyl. Terra Firma played some gigs in Sweden and did some European tours with band such as Atomic Bitchwax, Cathedral, Orange Goblin, Dozer, Masters of Reality, Blackshine, Dismember, Murder Squad, Entombed and Mammoth Volume.
Terra firma is a Latin phrase meaning " solid earth" . The phrase refers to the dry land mass on the earth's surface and is used to differentiate from the sea or air.
The term may also refer to:
- Terra Firma (electrical) a direct electrical ground connection or electrode.
- Terra Firma (band), a Swedish metal band
- Terra Firma Capital Partners, a British private equity firm
- Terra Firma (Tommy Emmanuel album), a 1995 album by Australian musician Tommy Emmanuel
- Terra Firma (Wolfstone album), a 2007 album by Scottish band Wolfstone
- Terra Firma, a 2000 album by the British electronic duo Sounds From The Ground
- "Terra Firma", a 1987 song by Crumbächer
- "Terra Firma", a 2001 song by Delerium
- "Terra Firma", an album by the contemporary folk band "Acoustic Syndicate" released April 8, 2003 on the Sugarhill record label
- "Terra Firma", a UK based international chartered landscape architecture consultancy, Tittenhurst Park
- "Terra Firma", an episode in the fourth season of the television series Farscape
- "Terra Firma", a 2007 song by The Young Knives
- "Terra Firma", a 2010 song by MyChildren MyBride
- Terra Firma, a 2011 EP by electronic music artist The Flashbulb
- Terra Firma, a 2015 song by Todd Rundgren Album Global
- Another name for one of the stages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Terra Firma is a 1995 album by Australian musician Tommy Emmanuel and his brother, Phil Emmanuel.
It was re-released by Sony International along with Determination in 2004.
"Terra Firma" is a song by English indie rock band Young Knives and is featured on their third studio album, Superabundance. The first single taken from the album, it was released on 29 October 2007 and reached a peak position of #43 in the UK Singles Chart.
Terra Firma is the eighth album by Scottish Celtic rock group Wolfstone. It was released in 2007. It saw Ross Hamilton take over lead vocals, only for him to leave the band a few months later.
Note "Back Home" seamlessly segues into "Break Yer Bass Drone Again" (with ..."Drone Again" actually being a reprise of "Back Home"), giving the impression that both tracks are different parts of the same recording.
The album saw a shift in the change of style, with a more alternative rock approach taken to it.
Usage examples of "terra firma".
Growing up on terra firma initiated a refinement of the nervous system that gradually produced the ability to formulate ideas.
Believe me, and take comfort, this is better for me than tons of gold and cases of diamonds, even were they not as problematical as the clouds we see in the morning floating over the sea, which we take for terra firma, and which evaporate and vanish as we draw near to them.
You know how everything you ever depended on suddenly goes back on you and terra firma isn't firma any longer?
The passengers, with the exception of two, a Scotch presbyterian divine and his wife, were still on shore, divided amongst the inns of the town, unwilling until the last moment to quit terra firma for so many months of sky and water, daily receiving a visit from the captain of the ship, who paid his respects to them all round, imparting any little intelligence he might have received as to the probable time of his departure.