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terrestrial

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Terrestrial

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English terrestrialle, from terrestre or Latin terrestris, from terra (“land, earth, ground”), with the suffix -al.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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terrestrial (plural terrestrials)

  1. (botany) A ground-dwelling plant.
  2. Alternative letter-case form of Terrestrial
    • 1873, Richard Anthony Proctor, The Expanse of Heaven‎[1], page 235:
      It will be manifest that natural scenery must present many beautiful varieties of effect altogether unfamiliar to us terrestrials, who know of no colours in scenery except those inherent in the objects themselves which form the landscape.

Adjective

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terrestrial (not comparable)

  1. Of, relating to, or inhabiting the land of the Earth or its inhabitants, earthly.
    • 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
      Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.
  2. Of, relating to, or composed of land.
    • 1997, “Review: Cinderella's house”, in New Scientist, number 2096:
      Microorganisms are the Cinderellas of terrestrial ecology — the majority of the Earth's biomass, yet barely catalogued.
  4. Living or growing in or on land (as opposed to other habitat); not aquatic, etc.
    a terrestrial plant
  5. (astronomy) Of a planet, being composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals; see also terrestrial planet.
  6. Concerned with the world or worldly matters.
  7. (Mormonism) Of or pertaining to the second highest degree of glory.
    • 1974 February, “A Sure Trumpet Sound: Quotations from President Lee”, in Ensign‎[2], page 77:
      We are now living and obeying celestial laws that will make us candidates for celestial glory; or we are living terrestrial laws that will make us candidates for terrestrial glory; or telestial.
    • 1977 August, Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Commandment: Save Thyself and Thy Kindred!”, in Tambuli‎[3], page 5:
      Theirs is an everlasting terrestrial inheritance because they rejected the truth when it was offered to them in mortality.
  8. (broadcasting) Broadcast using radio waves as opposed to satellite or cable.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Terms derived from terrestrial (adjective)
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English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ters- (0 c, 37 e)

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “terrestriā̆l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007: “From terrestre adj. or L terrestris”.

Further reading

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