From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Terra \Ter"ra\, n. [It. & L. See {Terrace}.]
The earth; earth.
[1913 Webster]
{Terra alba} [L., white earth] (Com.), a white amorphous
earthy substance consisting of burnt gypsum, aluminium
silicate (kaolin), or some similar ingredient, as
magnesia. It is sometimes used to adulterate certain
foods, spices, candies, paints, etc.
{Terra cotta}. [It., fr. terra earth + cotta, fem. of cotto
cooked, L. coctus, p. p. of coquere to cook. See {Cook},
n.] Baked clay; a kind of hard pottery used for statues,
architectural decorations, figures, vases, and the like.
{Terrae filius} [L., son of the earth], formerly, one
appointed to write a satirical Latin poem at the public
acts in the University of Oxford; -- not unlike the
prevaricator at Cambridge, England.
{Terra firma} [L.], firm or solid earth, as opposed to
{water}.
{Terra Japonica}. [NL.] Same as {Gambier}. It was formerly
supposed to be a kind of earth from Japan.
{Terra Lemnia} [L., Lemnian earth], Lemnian earth. See under
{Lemnian}.
{Terra ponderosa} [L., ponderous earth] (Min.), barite, or
heavy spar.
{Terra di Sienna}. See {Sienna}.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
terra firma
n 1: the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned
away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth
shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the
ground" [syn: {land}, {dry land}, {earth}, {ground}, {solid
ground}, {terra firma}]
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