Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

terra firma

/ˌtɛɹ.ə ˈfɝ.mə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.39 in modern English

Syllables: ter-ra -fir-ma
IPA: /ˌtɛɹ.ə ˈfɝ.mə/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Continental land, as distinguished from islands.

Uncountable

noun

Land, as opposed to water or air.

Colloquial; Uncountable

noun

Familiar territory (in a figurative sense); real-world concerns.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: mainland"
"Near-synonyms: dry land, solid ground"
"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!”"
"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!"
"Near-synonym: solid ground"
"It's nice to be back on terra firma after a long session of analyzing the philosopher's abstruse theories."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin terra firma (“solid land”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌtɛɹ.ə ˈfɝ.mə/
British English: /ˌtɛɹ.ə ˈfɜː.mə/

Usage

Frequently Paired Words

archipelago terra incognita uncharted territory uncharted water

Synonyms

mainland dry land on solid ground land earth ground solid ground

Antonyms

castle in the air air castle pie in the sky pipe dream

Questions

How do you pronounce terra firma?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌtɛɹ.ə ˈfɝ.mə/.
What does terra firma mean?: Continental land, as distinguished from islands.
Where does terra firma come from?: Learned borrowing from Latin terra firma (“solid land”).

How to pronounce terra firma

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