Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

terra alba

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.08 in modern English

Syllables: ter-ra al-ba
IPA

11

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A white earthy substance consisting of burnt gypsum and aluminium silicate (kaolin), or some similar ingredient, such as magnesia. It is sometimes used to adulterate certain foods, spices, candies, paints, etc.

Uncountable

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin terra (“earth”) + alba (“white”), literally meaning "white earth". Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ters-.

Origin

Source language: Proto-Indo-European

Word Breakdown

Root: *ters-

Usage

Uncountable

Synonyms

china clay china stone kaolin kaoline porcelain clay pipeclay

Questions

What does terra alba mean?: A white earthy substance consisting of burnt gypsum and aluminium silicate (kaolin), or some similar ingredient, such as magnesia. It is sometimes used to adulterate certain foods, spices, candies, paints, etc.
Where does terra alba come from?: It is traced to Proto-Indo-European.

How to pronounce terra alba

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “terra alba”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “terra alba”.
Repeat and practice — Say “terra alba” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.