# terra
## English
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin terra. Doublet of terrier.

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˈtɛɹə/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛɹə
* Homophone: terror (non-rhotic)

### Noun

terra (plural terras or terrae)
* A continent or large landmass, e.g. Arabia Terra or Aphrodite Terra.
* A Lunar highland or mountainous region with a relatively high albedo, e.g. Terra Nivium.

#### Related terms

* terracotta
* terra-japonica
* terra Lemnia
* terra-mara
* terra ponderosa
* terra preta
* terra rossa

### Anagrams

* Arter, arrêt, arter, rater, retar, tarre

## Catalan
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan terra, from Latin terra.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ˈtɛ.rə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˈtɛ.ra]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛra

### Noun

terra f (plural terres)
* earth
* land

### Noun

terra m (plural terres)
* ground

#### Derived terms

* cuc de terra
* desterrar
* enterrar
* Terra
* terraire
* terregada
* terrella
* terrenc
* terrer
* terrissa
* terrós

#### Related terms

* soterrar
* Terra
* terracota
* terraplè
* terraqüi
* terratrèmol
* terrenal
* terreny
* terrestre
* territori

### References

* “terra” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “terra”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “terra” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “terra” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Corsican
### Alternative forms

* tarra

### Etymology

From Latin terra, from Proto-Italic *terza. Cognates include Italian terra and French terre.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈtɛrːa/
* Hyphenation: ter‧ra
* Rhymes: -ɛrːa

### Noun

terra f (plural terre)
* earth
* land
* soil

#### Descendants

* Gallurese: tarra

### References

* “terra, tarra” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

## Estonian
### Noun

terra
* illative singular of tera

## Faroese
### Etymology

From Old Norse þerra.

### Verb

terra (third person singular past indicative terraði, third person plural past indicative terraðu, supine terrað)
* to dry

#### Conjugation

$^1$Only the past participle being declined.

#### Synonyms

* torna, turka

#### Antonyms

* fukta, slaga, væta

## French
### Verb

terra
* third-person singular past historic of terrer

### Anagrams

* arrêt, errât, rater

## Galician
### Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese terra, from Latin terra. Cognate with Portuguese terra, Catalan terra, and Spanish tierra.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈtɛra/ [ˈt̪ɛ.rɐ]
* Rhymes: -ɛra
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: te‧rra

### Noun

terra f (plural terras)
* soil, earth
* land, country
* (in the plural) real estate possesions or heritage

#### Related terms

* soterrar
* terreo
* territorio

### See also

* Terra

### References

* Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “terra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “terra”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “terra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “terra”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “terra”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

## Italian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈtɛr.ra/
* Audio:(file)
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛrra
* Hyphenation: tèr‧ra

### Etymology 1

From Latin terra, from Proto-Italic *terzā, from Proto-Indo-European *ters-eh₂, from *ters- (“dry”).

#### Noun

terra f (plural terre)
* ground
* (colloquial, atechnical synonym of suolo (“terreno”, “soil”)) soil
    Synonyms: suolo, terreno

##### Derived terms

* a terra
* acqua-terra
* andare per terra
* aria-terra
* atterrare
* avere un po' di terra al sole
* buttare a terra
* cercare per mare e per terra
* ci corre quanto dal cielo alla terra
* essere su questa terra
* gomma a terra
* interrare
* lasciare questa terra
* mettere a terra
* mettere piede a terra
* muovere cielo e terra
* né in cielo né in terra
* presa di terra
* raso terra
* restare a terra
* sentirsi mancare la terra sotto i piedi
* sotterrare
* sotto terra
* stare con i piedi per terra
* sterrare
* Terra
* terra bruciata
* terra di fonderia
* terra di nessuno
* terra di Siena
* terra ferma
* terra natale
* terra promessa
* terra rara
* Terra Santa
* terra sigillata
* terra terra
* terra-aria
* terracotta
* terraferma
* terraglia
* terrame
* terraneo
* terranova
* terrapieno
* terraqueo
* terrario
* terrazzo
* Terre matte
* terremoto
* terreno
* terreo
* terrestre
* terriccio
* terricolo
* terriero
* terrina
* territorio
* terrone
* terroso
* toccare terra
* verme di terra

### Etymology 2

From Terra (“Earth”).

#### Noun

terra f (plural terre)
* (colloquial, astronomy, by extension of Terra) planet
    Synonym: pianeta

##### Derived terms

* atterrare
* Madre Terra

### See also

* geo-
* luna
* mondo
* sole

## Latin
### Etymology

From Proto-Italic *terzā, from Proto-Indo-European *ters-eh₂, from *ters- (“dry”).
Cognate with torreō, Ancient Greek τέρσομαι (térsomai), Old Irish tír, Sanskrit तृषा (tṛ́ṣā), Old English þurst (English thirst). Compare the semantics of Ancient Greek χέρσος (khérsos).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈter.ra/, [ˈt̪ɛrːä]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈter.ra/, [ˈt̪ɛrːä]

### Noun

terra f (genitive terrae); first declension
* dry land (as opposed to watery parts of the Earth)
* ground, floor (the surface of the land)
    Synonym: humus
* earth, soil, dirt, clay, clod (the substance generally composing the dry land)
    Synonyms: solum, tellūs, humus
* land, country, region, territory (any given area of dry land)
** 8 CE – 12 CE, Ovid, Sorrows 1.127–128:nōbīs habitābitur orbis ultimus, ā terrā terra remōta meā.The end of the world will be my dwelling, a land far removed from my land. (The poet writes from exile.)
** 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Daniel 1:2:et asportavit ea in terram sennaar in domvm dei svi […] […] which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god […]
* earth (the entire surface of planet Earth; dry land and sea together, as opposed to the heavens)
** c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Virgil, Georgics III:omne adeo genvs in terris hominvmqve ferarvmqve et genvs æqvorevm pecvdes pictæqve volvcres in fvrias ignemqve rvvntSo far does every species on earth of man and beast, whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged, collapse into the frenzies and the fire [of sex].
* the Earth, the globe, the world (as a celestial object)
** c. 45 BCE, Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 1.17.40:num igitur dubitamus—? an sicut pleraque? quamquam hoc quidem minime; persuadent enim mathematici terram in medio mundo sitam ad universi caeli complexum quasi puncti instar optinere, quod κέντρον illi vocant...Do we, then, doubt, as we do in other cases (though I think here is very little room for doubt in this case, for the mathematicians prove the facts to us), that the earth is placed in the midst of the universe, being, as it were, a sort of point, which they call a κέντρον, surrounded by the whole heavens...

#### Usage notes

The use of terra to describe the globe as a heavenly body was already established in antiquity, but in New Latin, as the Earth became more indistinguishable from other planets, it gradually came to be treated as a proper noun (see Terra). The English Earth underwent this same transition.

#### Declension

First-declension noun, with locative.
Locative used in the sense "on land".

#### Derived terms

* conterrāneus
* extorris
* *interrō
* mediterrāneus
* sublātiō a terra
* terra alba
* Terra Australis
* terra firma
* terra foliata tartari
* terra incognita
* Terra Nova
* terra nullius
* terra salsuginis
* terrārius
* terrēnus
* terrestris
* terreus
* terricola
* terrigena
* terrigenus
* territōrium
* terrōsus
* terrula
* terrulentus
* terruncula

#### Related terms

* atterrāneus
* exterrāneus
* exterrēnus
* mediterreus
* subterrāneus
* subterrēnus
* subterreus
* terrāneola
* terrārium
* territōriālis
* terrulentē

#### Descendants

* Balkan Romance:
** Aromanian: tsarã
** Old Romanian: țeară
*** Romanian: țară
* Dalmatian:
** tara, tiara
* Italo-Romance:
** Corsican: terra, tarra
*** Gallurese: tarra
** Italian: terra, tierra
** Neapolitan: terra
** Sicilian: terra
* Padanian:
** Friulian: tiere
** Istriot: tiera
** Ladin: tera, tiera
** Ligurian: tæra, terra
** Lombard: tera
** Piedmontese: tèra
** Romansch: tiara, terra
** Venetan: tera
* Northern Gallo-Romance:
** Franco-Provençal: tèrra
** Oïl:
    Bourguignon: târre
    Gallo: tèrr
    French: terre
    Norman: tèrre
    Picard: tère, tière
    Walloon: tere
* Southern Gallo-Romance:
** Aragonese: tierra
** Catalan: terra
** Occitan: tèrra
* Ibero-Romance:
** Asturian: tierra
** Galician: terra
** Portuguese: terra
*** Guinea-Bissau Creole: tera
*** Kabuverdianu: téra
*** Papiamentu: tera
** Old Spanish: tierra
*** Ladino: tierra
*** Spanish: tierra
* Insular Romance:
** Sardinian: terra
* Borrowings:
** → Esperanto: tero

### References

* “terra”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “terra”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* "terra", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
* terra in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co. the earth; the glob: orbis terrae, terrarum the continent: (terra) continens (B. G. 5. 8. 2) an inland region; the interior: terra (regio) mediterranea the earth brings forth fruit, crops: terra effert (more rarely fert, but not profert) fruges the earth brings forth fruit abundantly: terra fundit fruges the vegetable kingdom: ea, quae terra gignit the vegetable kingdom: ea, quae e terra gignuntur the vegetable kingdom: ea, quae a terra stirpibus continentur the vegetable kingdom: ea quorum stirpes terra continentur (N. D. 2. 10. 26) the atmosphere: aer terrae circumiectus or circumfusus the atmosphere: aer qui est terrae proximus a zone: orbis, pars (terrae), cingulus to be contiguous, adjacent to a country: tangere, attingere terram to be contiguous, adjacent to a country: finitimum esse terrae to have the same boundaries; to be coterminous: continentem esse terrae or cum terra (Fam. 15. 2. 2) the empire reaches to the ends of the world: imperium orbis terrarum terminis definitur the most distant countries, the world's end: ultimae terrae the most distant countries, the world's end: extremae terrae partes to begin a journey (on foot, on horseback, by land): iter ingredi (pedibus, equo, terra) to travel through the most remote countries: disiunctissimas ultimas terras peragrare (not permigrare) to fall to the earth: in terram cadere, decidere to sink into the earth: in terram demergi to keep one's eyes on the ground: oculos figere in terra and in terram geography: terrarum or regionum descriptio (geographia) to conquer a country: terra potiri to reduce a country to subjection to oneself: terram suae dicionis facere to make oneself master of a people, country: populum, terram suo imperio, suae potestati subicere (not sibi by itself) to disembark troops: milites in terram, in terra exponere the storm drives some one on an unknown coast: procella (tempestas) aliquem ex alto ad ignotas terras (oras) defert to land (of people): appellere navem (ad terram, litus) to land, disembark: exire, egredi in terram to be unable to land: portu, terra prohiberi (B. C. 3. 15)
* “terra”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “terra”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray

### Anagrams

* errat

## Neapolitan
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin terra.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈtɛrrə/

### Noun

terra f (plural terre)
* land

### References

* AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 1623: “cade bocconi (colla pancia in terra)” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it

## Old Galician-Portuguese
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin terra.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [tɛ.ra]
* Rhymes: -ɛra
* Hyphenation: te‧rra

### Noun

terra f (plural terrass)
* land; region; territory
* ground (the surface of the Earth outside buildings)
    Synonym: chão
* dry land (places outside a body of water)
* field (wide, open space used to grow crops or to hold farm animals)
* world; the Earth

#### Derived terms

* prender terra

#### Descendants

* Galician: terra
* Portuguese: terra

### References

* Manuel Ferreiro (2014–2025) “terra”, in Universo Cantigas. Edición crítica da poesía medieval galego-portuguesa (in Galician), A Coruña: University of A Coruña, →ISSN

## Old Occitan
### Etymology

From Latin terra, from Proto-Italic *terzā, from Proto-Indo-European *ters-eh₂, from *ters- (“dry”).

### Noun

terra f (oblique plural terras, nominative singular terra, nominative plural terras)
* land

#### Related terms

* terrassa

#### Descendants

* Occitan: tèrra

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈtɛ.ʁɐ/ [ˈtɛ.hɐ]
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈtɛ.ʁɐ/ [ˈtɛ.hɐ]
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /ˈtɛ.ʁɐ/ [ˈtɛ.χɐ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈtɛ.ʁa/ [ˈtɛ.ha]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈtɛ.ʁɐ/
* (Northeast Brazil) IPA: /ˈtɛ.ha/
* Rhymes: -ɛʁɐ
* Hyphenation: ter‧ra

### Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese terra, from Latin terra.

#### Noun

terra f (plural terras)
* land; region; territory (area associated with something)
    Cuidado, essa é a terra dos caçadores de cabeças.Be careful, that is the land of the headhunters.
* ground (the surface of the Earth outside buildings)
    Deixa essa pedra na terra.Leave that rock on the ground.
* land; property (partitioned and measurable area owned by someone)
    Compramos uma terra para criar gado.We bought land to raise cattle.
* (sailing) land; dry land; ground (places outside a body of water)
    Após meses de viagem, finalmente chegaram em terra.After months of travel, they finally arrived on land.
* earth; soil (mixture of sand and organic material found on the ground)
    A camisa está suja de terra.The shirt is dirty with soil.
* land; homeland
    Lá na minha terra tem muitas capivaras.There are a lot of capybaras in my homeland.

##### Synonyms

* (region): região, território
* (ground): chão, solo
* (property): terreno
* (dry land): terra firme
* (homeland): terra natal, terrinha

##### Derived terms

* terrinha (diminutive)

##### Related terms

* alcalino-terroso
* aterrar
* aterro
* desenterrar
* enterrar
* terraço
* terráqueo
* terreiro
* terremoto
* terreno
* térreo
* terrestre
* territorial
* território
* terroso

##### Descendants

* → Saramaccan: téla

#### Proper noun

terra f
* Alternative letter-case form of Terra

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form..

#### Verb

terra
* inflection of terrar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### See also

* Terra

### Further reading

* “terra”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
* “terra”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025

## Romansch
### Alternative forms

* tiara (Sursilvan)

### Etymology

From Latin terra.

### Noun

terra f (plural terras)
* (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter) land, soil
* (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter) country, land
* (capitalized, proper noun, Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) the planet Earth

#### Synonyms

* (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) pajais
* (Sutsilvan) pajis
* (Surmiran) paeis
* (Puter) terrain

## Sicilian
### Etymology

From Latin terra.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈtɛʐʐa/, /ˈtɛrra/
* Hyphenation: tèr‧ra

### Noun

terra f (plural terri)
* land
* earth
* soil
* ground

#### Related terms

* tirritòriu
* tirrazzu
* tirrenu