Terra Firma
/ˌtɛr.ə ˈfɜːr.mə/noun
Solid ground; land as opposed to sea or air.
Did you know?The phrase comes straight from Latin and was used in early modern navigation to mean land that feels magically certain compared with the chaos of the sea.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ters-
“to dry”
Latin
Latin
terra
“earth, land”
Latin
Latin
firmus
“firm, stable, steadfast”
Late Latin
Latin
terra firma
“solid ground, dry land”
16th Century
English
terra firma
“land, especially as opposed to sea”
Modern English
English
terra firma
“solid ground; land”
Explore more surprising origins