SINCE 1828
terra
noun
ter·ra
| \ ˈter-ə
\
\
plural terrae\ ˈter-(ˌ)ē
, -ˌī \
, -ˌī \
Definition of terra
: any of the relatively light-colored highland areas on the surface of the moon or a planet
Examples of terra in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The waiters scurry back in with the first course of the ‘vegetable season’ menu: a broth made of potato and elderflower served in a terra-cotta pot, which has to be sucked through a straw. — Mary Holland, Condé Nast Traveler, "What It's Like to Eat at Noma, One of the World’s Most Famous Restaurants," 21 Dec. 2018 Their modernity seems to purposefully clash with the gray wood, brick, and terra cotta. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Prefab ‘plug-in houses’ help revitalize dilapidated buildings," 18 Dec. 2018 In addition to classic indigo, black, white, and baby blue, there’s beige, rust, faded terra-cotta, olive, and bright cherry. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "This Designer’s Secret to Seriously Good Jeans? A Background in Mechanical Engineering," 20 Nov. 2018 The exterior of the building is of Italian Renaissance Style, and is faced in glazed terra cotta. — Paul Dorpat, The Seattle Times, "The fate of the Rhodes Stores turned on a dime," 26 Oct. 2018 The three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath main residence includes original Saltillo terra cotta tile, hardwood floors, and a large family room that opens to an outdoor patio. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Waterfront estate asks $2.4M in Florida," 9 Oct. 2018 There’s lots of texture happening with the cypress ceiling and the new terra-cotta-tile floor, and the wallpaper’s exuberance balances that. — Kathleen Renda, House Beautiful, "This House Will Give You Wes Anderson Vibes," 5 Oct. 2018 The heart of the hotel is a 1916 terra cotta–faced structure at 1400 Woodward Avenue that originally housed Rayl’s department store. — Ingrid Abramovitch, ELLE Decor, "Inside Shinola's First Hotel in Detroit," 22 Sep. 2018 Plant lavender in a container made from a material that breathes, such as terra cotta. — Therese Ciesinski, Good Housekeeping, "How to Grow Lavender Anywhere — Even Indoors," 9 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'terra.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on terra
What made you want to look up terra? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What did you just call me?! A Quiz
-
- If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share terra
Resources for terra