terrestrial

adjective ter·res·tri·al \ tə-ˈre-st(r)ē-əl ; -ˈres-chəl , -ˈresh- \

Updated on: 28 Feb 2018

Definition of terrestrial

1 a : of or relating to the earth or its inhabitants

terrestrial magnetism

b : mundane in scope or character : prosaic

2 a : of or relating to land as distinct from air or water

terrestrial transportation

b (1) : living on or in or growing from land

terrestrial plants

terrestrial birds

(2) : of or relating to terrestrial organisms

terrestrial habits

3 : belonging to the class of planets that are like the earth (as in density and silicate composition)

the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars

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terrestrial

noun

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terrestrially

adverb

See terrestrial defined for English-language learners

See terrestrial defined for kids

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Examples of terrestrial in a Sentence

The toad has terrestrial habits, spending most of its time on shore.
scientists haven't even found all the terrestrial life on our planet

Recent Examples of terrestrial from the Web

A century ago, our solar system seemed split into two tidy groups: the terrestrial inner planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars — and the giant, gaseous outer worlds.

— eric betz, Discover Magazine, "New Horizons, New Worlds," 10 Nov. 2017
The message is sent from the ground station out to terrestrial or cell phone networks and completed that way.

— elizabeth weise, USA TODAY, "The satellite phone supply is running out as all head to Puerto Rico," 29 Sep. 2017
Both work on the Seward Peninsula; Breen is a terrestrial ecologist who works with tundra plants and Bolton is a hydrologist who specializes in the interaction of the peninsula's frozen ground with its many waterways.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "When California Gov. Jerry Brown came to Nome," 4 Nov. 2017
According to this theory, Spinosaurus represents a transition between the terrestrial and aquatic environments.

— Smithsonian, "Accessibility Navigation," 19 Apr. 2017
For a Cinematic Universe, the Marvel stuff tends to be contained to a terrestrial imagination.

— kevin nguyen, GQ, "Thor: Ragnarok Review: Is This Marvel’s Best Movie Yet?," 1 Nov. 2017
The only thing detracting from the scene was its location: the side of a terrestrial highway.

— mike miller, PEOPLE.com, "Brad Pitt Films an Action Scene in a Full Spacesuit on the Side of an L.A. Freeway," 29 Oct. 2017
Satellite and Internet music companies already operate at a disadvantage compared to terrestrial radio stations, which don't have to pay performance royalties on any music.

— joe mullin, Ars Technica, "Florida’s top court stops 1960s band from earning pre-1972 copyright royalties," 26 Oct. 2017
Over the next few days, some 70 observatories, terrestrial and orbital, scrambled to peer at the drama that unfolded 130 million light-years away.

— ray jayawardhana, WSJ, "When Worlds Collide, Astronomers Watch," 16 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'terrestrial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Terrestrial might be a pretty down-to-earth word, but some of its relatives are out of this world. "Terrestrial" first appeared in English in the 15th century and derives from the Latin root terra, which means "earth." In the mid-1800s "extra-" was added to "terrestrial," giving us "extraterrestrial," an adjective that can be used to describe things (including science fiction creatures) that come from space. "Terrestrial" shares the "-al" suffix with "celestial," which was first used in the 14th century. Not surprisingly, "celestial" ("of or relating to the sky or visible heavens") traces back to the Latin for sky, "caelum."

Origin and Etymology of terrestrial

Middle English, from Latin terrestris, from terra earth — more at ¹terrace

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

terrestrial Synonyms

Other Astronomy Terms

gibbous, nadir, nebulous, penumbra, retrograde, sidereal, syzygy, wane, wax, zenith

TERRESTRIAL Defined for English Language Learners

terrestrial

adjective

Definition of terrestrial for English Language Learners

: relating to or occurring on the earth
: living or growing on land instead of in water or air
: sending a broadcast signal from the Earth

TERRESTRIAL Defined for Kids

terrestrial

adjective ter·res·tri·al \ tə-ˈre-strē-əl \

Definition of terrestrial for Students

1 : relating to the earth or its people Does anything like terrestrial life exist on other planets?

2 : living or growing on land

terrestrial birds

Word Root of terrestrial

The Latin word terra, meaning “earth,” “land,” or “ground,” gives us the root terr. Words from the Latin terra have something to do with the earth or land. A territory is an area of land ruled by a particular government. A terrace is a piece of land with a flat top. Anything terrestrial lives on land and not in water.