Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or relating to the earth; earthly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to the earth; earthly; terrestrial: as, terrene substance.
  • noun The earth.
  • noun The surface of the earth.
  • noun See terrine, tureen.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to the earth; earthy.
  • adjective Earthy; terrestrial.
  • noun obsolete A tureen.
  • noun Poetic The earth's surface; the earth.
  • noun (Surv.) The surface of the ground.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective pertaining to the earth; earthly, terrestrial, worldly as opposed to heavenly
  • noun poetic The Earth's surface; the earth; the ground.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air
  • adjective belonging to this earth or world; not ideal or heavenly

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin terrēnus, from terra, earth; see ters- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Anglo-Norman, from Latin terrenus, from terra ("earth").

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Examples

  • It is you, his self-professed terrene representatives, because you find yourself increasingly irrelevant as the human species matures, like a child into adulthood, beyond the need for parental gods and devils and moves into the space where it understands that it is master of its own fate.

    Archive 2010-01-01 Edstock 2010

  • It is you, his self-professed terrene representatives, because you find yourself increasingly irrelevant as the human species matures, like a child into adulthood, beyond the need for parental gods and devils and moves into the space where it understands that it is master of its own fate.

    Dear Vatican, Boris 2010

  • It was a garden with trees of freshest green and ripe fruits of yellow sheen; and its birds were singing clear and keen and nils ran wimpling through the fair terrene.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • This "something more" is related to the manner in which the scene appears somehow in possession of itself: "for the elements have their motions, though the objects they illuminate are fixed, and the ether hath its transparency, the stars their chrystalline, and the lamp its vital flame, though the ruin and its terrene accompaniments have their opaque solidity."

    Making Visible: The Diorama, the Double and the (Gothic) Subject 2005

  • The lady paused, as if to consider the weight of that event in the scale of terrene life.

    Two on a Tower 2006

  • As, on the contrary, milk, of all other liquids, does not return our images, because it hath too many terrene and gross parts mixed with it; again, oil of all other liquids makes the least noise when moved, for it is perfectly humid.

    Symposiacs 2004

  • And so farre did this sodaine knowledge in him extend; that he could conceive of divine and celestiall things, and that they were more to be admired and reverenced, then those of humane or terrene consideration; wherefore the more gladly he contented himselfe, to tarry till she awaked of her owne accord.

    The Decameron 2004

  • As, on the contrary, milk, of all other liquids, does not return our images, because it hath too many terrene and gross parts mixed with it; again, oil of all other liquids makes the least noise when moved, for it is perfectly humid.

    Essays and Miscellanies 2004

  • Now, as I take it, the most natural and principal nourishment of heat is moisture, as it evidently appears from flames, which increase by the pouring in of oil, and from ashes, which are of the driest things in nature; for after the humidity is consumed by the fire, the terrene and grosser parts remain without any moisture at all.

    Symposiacs 2004

  • For fire feeds upon nothing but what is moist, for nothing is combustible but what is so; for when the fire is kindled, the air turns to smoke, and the terrene and grosser parts remain in the ashes.

    Symposiacs 2004

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