Terrestrial
/təˈrɛs.tri.əl/noun
Of or relating to the Earth or to land as opposed to the sea or air.
Did you know?Its core Latin ancestor, *terra*, was the everyday word for “earth,” and it spread through Latin into science, religion, and astronomy as the label for anything tied to the planet itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ters-
“to dry; dry land, parched ground”
Latin
Latin
terra
“earth; land; ground”
Latin
Latin
terrestris
“of the earth; earthly; land-based”
Old French
Old French
terrestre
“earthly; of the land”
Middle English
English
terrestre / terrestrial
“earthly; pertaining to the Earth”
Modern English
English
terrestrial
“of or relating to the Earth or land”