terraform

American  

[ter-uh-fawrm] / ˈtɛr əˌfɔrm /

verb (used with object)

1. to alter the environment of (a celestial body) in order to make capable of supporting terrestrial life forms.

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Usage

What does terraform mean? Terraform means to change the environment of a planet to make it like Earth or at least make it able to support life like Earth does.The idea of terraforming a planet (or another celestial body, like a moon) so humans and other life forms could survive there was originally just the stuff of science fiction. However, it is now sometimes the subject of serious scientific consideration, especially the possibility of terraforming Mars for human habitation.Example: Some theorists think humanity could develop the technology to terraform Mars, but others think it’s simply impossible.

Etymology

Origin of terraform

1975–80; terra + form; perhaps taken as v. use of an adj. with -form as second element

Example Sentences

Over longer periods, ammonia created as a metabolic byproduct of Sporosarcina pasteurii could help enable closed loop agricultural systems and might even play a role in Mars's terraforming efforts.

From Science Daily

“It would be far, far easier and cheaper to ‘terraform’ the deserts on our own planet than to terraform Mars.

From Los Angeles Times

And there is another hope too: that it broadcasts a message of how a billionaire might live his or her best life — without terraforming Mars, without Burning Man, without the attempts to stealth-run Harvard University.

From Seattle Times

For nearly two decades, the art form formerly known as television did nothing but grow, in wild and glorious abandon, as if it had been touched by a terraforming agent from “Doctor Who.”

From Los Angeles Times

The group’s co-founder and president, Robert Zubrin, extolled the virtues of sending humans to Mars to terraform the planet and establish a human colony.

From Salon