firm
Part of speech: noun
adj
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: business
economics
sciences
Etymology: From Italian firma (“signature”), from firmare (“to sign”), from Latin firmāre (“to make firm, to confirm (by signature)”), from firmus (“firm, stable”). The contemporary sense developed in the 18th century simultaneously with German Firma (“business, name of business”). There are conflicting statements in the literature as to which of the two languages influenced which. Doublet of dharma and dhamma. Other cognates include Russian держать (deržatʹ, “to hold”).
Inflected forms:
form: firms
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: firmer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: firmest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: firms
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: firming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: firmed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: firmed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A business partnership; the name under which it trades.
pos: noun
tags: UK
gloss: A business enterprise, however organized.
pos: noun
examples: Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms.[…]Banks and credit-card firms are kept out of the picture. Talk to enough people in the field and someone is bound to mention the “democratisation of finance”.
gloss: A criminal gang, especially based around football hooliganism.
pos: noun
tags: slang
gloss: Steadfast, secure, solid (in position)
pos: adj
examples: It's good to have a firm grip when shaking hands.
gloss: Fixed (in opinion).
pos: adj
examples: a firm believer; a firm friend; a firm adherent
firm favourites
With such constant off-field turmoil Hughton’s work has been remarkable and this may have been his last game in charge. West Bromwich Albion, searching for a replacement for Roy Hodgson, are firm admirers.
gloss: Insistent upon something, not accepting dissent.
pos: adj
examples: He wanted to stay overnight, but I was firm with him and said he had to leave today.
gloss: Durable, rigid (material state).
pos: adj
examples: firm flesh; firm muscles, firm wood; firm land (i.e. not soft and marshy)
Biblical criteria of sexual seductiveness include a white skin, black hair, or henna-dyed, scarlet lips, a prominent nose, rosy temples, long straight neck, firm breasts, round thighs, an erect posture.
gloss: Mentally resistant to hurt or stress.
pos: adj
examples: […] The life that almost dies in me:
That dies not, but endures with pain,
⁠And slowly forms the firmer mind,
⁠Treasuring the look it cannot find,
The words that are not heard again.
gloss: Not frivolous or fallacious; trustworthy; solid; dependable.
pos: adj
examples: Although facilitators of the workshop for lesbians and bisexual women attempted to address the concerns of lesbians, little firm information emerged.
None of the Aramaic inscriptions from the Hellenistic and Roman period that are cited in support of this hypothesis that divine messengers are identified with their sender provide any firm proof to this respect.
gloss: To make firm or strong; fix securely.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Stolz said the move by ClubsNSW had only firmed his resolve to keep fighting for the right to disclose information in the public interest about money laundering in registered clubs.
gloss: To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To become firm; stabilise.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
gloss: To improve after decline.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
gloss: To shorten (of betting odds).
pos: verb
tags: Australia
intransitive
gloss: To grit one's teeth and bear; to push through something unpleasant.
pos: verb
tags: colloquial
transitive
examples: I know you aren't feeling well, but just firm it.
gloss: To select (a higher education institution) as one's preferred choice, so as to enrol automatically if one's grades match the conditional offer.
pos: verb
tags: UK
slang
transitive
Synonyms: decided
Derived words: firmless
firmographics
firmwide
hooligan firm
interfirm
investment firm
law firm
levered firm
long firm
megafirm
multifirm
neglected firm effect
n-firm concentration ratio
small firm effect
superfirm
The Firm
white-shoe firm
firm error
firm hand
firm hand at the tiller
firm hand on the tiller
firmish
firm line
firm link
firmly
firmness
firm power
firm up
firmware
hold firm
semifirm
stand firm
unfirm
firming agent
Translations: