terraform

[ ter-uh-fawrm ]
/ ˈtɛr əˌfɔrm /

verb (used with object)

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

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Origin of terraform

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

Words nearby terraform

terrace, terraced house, terrachlor, terracing, terracotta, terraform, terraforming, terrain, terramara, terramycin, terrane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for terraforming

terraforming
/ (ˈtɛrəˌfɔːmɪŋ) /

noun

planetary engineering designed to enhance the capacity of an extraterrestrial planetary environment to sustain life

Word Origin for terraforming

C20: from Latin terra earth + forming
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