terra
Americannoun
noun
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A rough highland or mountainous region of the moon with a relatively high albedo.
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Compare mare
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A vast highland region on a planet.
Etymology
Origin of terra
Borrowed into English from Latin around 1605–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Despite the many Aboriginal communities, the British deemed the place terra nullius—no one’s land—and established a penal colony, bringing diseases that drastically reduced the indigenous population.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
But the fear was that it would happen in space, when you’re 180 miles from terra firma and the nearest fire station.
From Salon • Feb. 9, 2025
They came in a small range of colors: sand, terra cotta, chestnut.
From Slate • Oct. 20, 2024
This is really quite intriguing as we do not know much about these parts of the genome; our work shows there is benefit in exploring further this genetic terra incognita.'
From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2024
Woods has guessed that terra preta might represent as much as to percent of the Amazon basin, an area the size of France.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
