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A.Word.A.Day--terra firma

terra firma (TER-uh FUR-muh) noun

Solid ground; dry land.

[From Latin terra (earth) + firma, feminine of firmus (solid). Ultimately from Indo-European root ters- (to dry) that is the source of words such as territory, terrace, turmeric, and toast.]

See more usage examples of terra firma in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"But as we pushed it back, the back wheels sank deeper into the mud. We finally managed to push the plane onto the firma terra and we resumed our flight for Erave station in Samberigi." Wheels of Death; The National (Boroko, Papua New Guinea); Aug 1, 2004.

"Clayton Cook would rather see more air time than simply driving over the terra firma." Dale Woodard; Taking Flight; Daily Herald-Tribune (Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada); Aug 5, 2004.

This week's theme: Latin expressions.

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