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QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of firm

1
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin firmus; replacing Middle English ferm(e), from Middle French ferm(e), from Latin

synonym study for firm

1. Firm, hard, solid, stiff are applied to substances that tend to retain their form unaltered in spite of pressure or force. Firm often implies that something has been brought from a yielding state to a fixed or elastic one: An increased amount of pectin makes jellies firm. Hard is applied to substances so resistant that it is difficult to make any impression upon their surface or to penetrate their interior: as hard as a stone. Solid is applied to substances that without external support retain their form and resist pressure: Water in the form of ice is solid. It sometimes denotes the opposite of hollow: a solid block of marble. Stiff implies rigidity that resists a bending force: as stiff as a poker.

OTHER WORDS FROM firm

firm·ly, adverbfirm·ness, noun

Other definitions for firm (2 of 2)

firm2
[ furm ]
/ fɜrm /

noun
a partnership or association for carrying on a business.
the name or title under which associated parties transact business: the firm of Smith & Jones.

Origin of firm

2
First recorded in 1565–75; from Spanish firma “signature” (hence, legal name of a partnership), noun derivative of firmar “to sign,” from Latin firmāre “to strengthen, confirm,” derivative of firmus firm1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use firm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for firm (1 of 2)

firm1
/ (fɜːm) /

adjective
adverb
in a secure, stable, or unyielding mannerhe stood firm over his obligation to pay
verb
(sometimes foll by up) to make or become firm
(intr) Australian horse racing (of a horse) to shorten in odds

Derived forms of firm

firmly, adverbfirmness, noun

Word Origin for firm

C14: from Latin firmus

British Dictionary definitions for firm (2 of 2)

firm2
/ (fɜːm) /

noun
a business partnership
any commercial enterprise
a team of doctors and their assistants
British slang
  1. a gang of criminals
  2. a gang of football hooligans

Word Origin for firm

C16 (in the sense: signature): from Spanish firma signature, title of a partnership or business concern, from firmar to sign, from Latin firmāre to confirm, from firmus firm
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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