terraform
Americanverb (used with object)
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
Explanation
To terraform is to alter a celestial body to make it livable for humans. Some scientists imagine terraforming Mars to support a colony of earthlings — but don't hold your breath (which you'd have to do on Mars, because it has almost no oxygen). The concept of terraforming distant planets is common in science fiction, but it's not likely to happen in our lifetime. Creating a breathable atmosphere on Mars could take hundreds or even hundreds of thousands of years! And then there's the issue of altering the planet's magnetic field to keep the atmosphere in place, dealing with the toxic soil on the red planet, getting liquid water to support life, etc. With current technology, it's not possible to terraform Mars — but maybe humans of the future will be marslings, not earthlings.
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.
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 ● Nov. 27, 2023
On the planet Sask-E, her mission is to terraform an Earthlike world, with the help of her companion moose, Whistle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2023
A kind of time capsule/Noah’s Ark system seeds the world with life once again, and humans live in small, preindustrial hunter-gatherer bands alongside giant, animal-shaped robots, which terraform and fertilize the once-blighted land.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2022
We didn’t address what technology might be used, but Elon Musk has suggested, for example, that we could terraform Mars simply by exploding nuclear bombs over the polar caps.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 27, 2018
Some have even suggested that future technology might allow us to terraform Mars—that is, to engineer its atmosphere and climate in ways that might make the planet more hospitable for long-term human habitation.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
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