Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

A.Word.A.Day--terrestrial

terrestrial (tuh-RES-tree-uhl) adjective

1. Pertaining to the earth or its inhabitants.

2. Pertaining to the land (as distinct from water or air) or those living on land.

3. Worldly, mundane.

noun

One living on the earth.

[From Latin terrestris (relating to earth), from terra (earth). Some other words derived from the same Latin root are terrace, mediterranean, turmeric, country, subterranean, territory, terrier, and terra cotta.]

"Amid all this up close and personal planet smooching, an anniversary of extraordinary terrestrial significance has been completely overlooked. On August 27 1883, five miles off the western tip of Java, the island of Krakatoa exploded, literally blew itself apart, and killed 40,000 people." Roger Beaumont; Humanity Wrap: Mars: It's Not All That You Think it is; The Nation (Bangkok, Thailand); Aug 31, 2003.

"A researcher at the National Center for Social Studies, Koriam says the dearth of veiled women on terrestrial television has everything to do with officials' desire to reflect `global fashion and Western trends' of appearance and behavior." Azza Khattab; Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't?; Egypt Today (Cairo); Aug 29, 2003.

This week's theme: Words related to the solar system.

X-Bonus