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.

Nearby words

terraced, terraced house, terrachlor, terracing, terracotta, terraforming, terraforming, terrain, terramara, terramycin, terran

Origin of terraform

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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