terrestrial

adjective

ter·​res·​tri·​al tə-ˈre-st(r)ē-əl  -ˈres-chəl 

-ˈresh-

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

terrestrial noun

terrestrially adverb

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."

Synonyms

• carnal
• earthborn
• earthbound
• earthly
• fleshly
• material
• mundane
• sublunary
• temporal
• terrene
• worldly

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 on the Web

The new study suggests, however, that records of ancient tsunamis may be found in the form of amber and other terrestrial material deposited in deep-sea sediments. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2025

Moving some of those data centers to space, whether placed in stationary locations on the moon or traveling in near-Earth orbit, could reduce the environmental impact of our terrestrial digital infrastructure. —Michael Wu, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

Official records such as local gazettes and county chronicles didn’t have any information about the porpoises — only terrestrial megafauna like tigers and elephants, species that have frequent conflict with humans. —Marlowe Starling, CNN Money, 14 May 2025

Tegus are terrestrial lizards that hail from South America. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for terrestrial

• estriol
• extraterrestrial

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

terrestrial

adjective

ter·​res·​tri·​al tə-ˈres-trē-əl  -ˈres-chəl 

-ˈresh-chəl

1

: of or relating to the earth or its living things

2

a

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

terrestrial transportation

b

: living on or in or growing from land

terrestrial plants

terrestrial birds