terra

terra — noun

1. the solid, dry surface of the Earth, especially when you are thinking of it as d

1.名詞B2
釋義

the solid, dry surface of the Earth, especially when you are thinking of it as different from the sea or the sky.

例句

The sailors cheered when they finally spotted terra after twelve weeks at sea.

collocation: spot terra — to see land from sea

Omar's biology class compared the creatures that live in the ocean with those that live on terra.

contrastive structure: in the ocean vs on terra

同義詞
  • land

    Everyday, neutral word. 'Land' is the common choice in normal conversation.

  • ground

    Emphasises the surface you stand or walk on, rather than territory in contrast to sea.

  • earth

    Can mean the planet as a whole. When used for the ground surface, it is less formal than 'terra' but more poetic than 'land'.

反義詞
  • sea

    The most direct opposite — saltwater body that covers most of the Earth's surface.

  • sky

    The space above the Earth, contrasted with the solid surface.

用法筆記

Considerably more formal and less frequent in everyday speech than 'land' or 'ground'. Most common in literary writing, news reports about travel or exploration, and scientific contexts where a contrast with sea or air is explicit.

常見錯誤

❌The farmer owns a large area of terra.
✅The farmer owns a large area of land.
💡'Terra' is not used for farmland or property; use 'land' instead.
❌Please put the box down on the terra.
✅Please put the box down on the ground.
💡'Terra' is too formal and unusual for everyday instructions.