terrestris

Latin

Etymology

Perhaps from Proto-Italic *terzestris, from *terzos +‎ *-tris,^[1] the first of which would also be the base of terrēnus. The suffix -tris is possibly also seen in bimēnstris, as well as palūster, equester, pedester. Reanalysis as terr-estris, as if derived from terra, would have yielded a new suffix -estris which is found in e.g. campester and silvestris. From a synchronic perspective of Classical Latin, terrestris indeed contained the -estris-suffix.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /terˈres.tris/, [t̪ɛrˈrɛs̠t̪rɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /terˈres.tris/, [t̪erˈrɛst̪ris]

Adjective

terrestris (neuter terrestre); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. Of or pertaining to the earth or land; terrestrial, earthly.

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

	singular			plural
	masc./fem.	neuter		masc./fem.	neuter
nominative	terrestris	terrestre		terrestrēs	terrestria
genitive	terrestris			terrestrium
dative	terrestrī			terrestribus
accusative	terrestrem	terrestre		terrestrēs terrestrīs	terrestria
ablative	terrestrī			terrestribus
vocative	terrestris	terrestre		terrestrēs	terrestria

Related terms

• terra
• terrēnus
• terreus
• terricola
• terrigena
• territōrium
• terrōsus
• terrula
• terrulentē
• terrulentus

Descendants

• Catalan: terrestre
• English: terrestrial
• French: terrestre
  • → Romanian: terestru
• Friulian: terest
• Italian: terrestre
• Old French: terrestre
  • Norman: tèrrêtre
• Portuguese: terrestre
• Romanian: terestru
• Spanish: terrestre

References

• “terrestris”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “terrestris”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• terrestris in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• terrestris in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • travel by land, on foot: iter terrestre, pedestre
    
  • geographical knowledge: regionum terrestrium aut maritimarum scientia
    

1. Walde, Alois, Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1954) “terrestris”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), 3rd edition, volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 673