terra firma
Land beneath feet
Terra firma is solid ground, as opposed to water or air.
The Latin phrase means "firm land" and appears in English when emphasizing the relief or security of being on stable footing: After two weeks at sea, I was glad to be back on terra firma.
It often carries a slightly humorous or formal tone.
Freedom from harm
- securityProtection from threat
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- havenShelter from danger
- shelterProtected place or structure
refuge · harbor · anchorage · landfall · shore · port · solid ground · dry land
Soil or electrical grounding
- soilGround matter for planting
- landEarth's solid surface
- dirtLoose dry earth
- landmassContinuous area of ground
continent · bedrock · crust · substrate · topsoil · geology · sediment · lithosphere
Underlying support structure
- solidityFirmness of structure
- firmnessResistance to deformation
- steadinessState of being constant
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
equilibrium · anchorage · permanence · durability · constancy · support · structure · immovability
Firm promise or certainty
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- convictionFirmly held belief
- surenessAbsence of uncertainty
- reliabilityConsistent, predictable performance
dependability · trustworthiness · solidity · groundedness · realness · tangibility · concreteness · substantiality
safety
Freedom from harm
shelter · refuge · harbor · anchorage · landfall · shore · port · solid ground · dry land · homecoming
earth
Soil or electrical grounding
landmass · continent · bedrock · crust · substrate · topsoil · geology · sediment · lithosphere · strata
foundation
Underlying support structure
- solidityFirmness of structure
- firmnessResistance to deformation
- steadinessState of being constant
balance · equilibrium · anchorage · permanence · durability · constancy · support · structure · immovability · footing
assurance
Firm promise or certainty
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- convictionFirmly held belief
- surenessAbsence of uncertainty
reliability · dependability · trustworthiness · solidity · groundedness · realness · tangibility · concreteness · substantiality
- Earth/Landearth, land, ground, soil, dirt
- groundground, earth, soil, dirt, land
- Latin Termsa priori, ab initio, ad hoc, ad lib, bona fide
- Latin Wordsad, ad nauseam, et, caveat emptor, affidavit
- rootstaproot, root system, root tip, fibrous root, primary root
- LatinLatin, Latin vocabulary, Latin roots, Latin alphabet, Latin phrases
terra firmashaky ground
Precarious position or situation
thin ice · quicksand · uncertainty · limbo · flux
terra firmathin air
Seeming nothingness
quicksand · shifting sands · turbulence · instability · precariousness
territory, terrain, terrestrial, terra, Mediterranean, terracotta