terrestrial

From Middle English terrestrialle, from terrestre or Latin terrestris, from terra (“land, earth, ground”), with the suffix -al.^[1]

• (UK) IPA^(key): /tɪˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /tɪˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/, /təˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /tɪˈɹɛstɹɪ.əl/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /tɪˈɹestɹɪ.əl/, /təˈɹestɹɪ.əl/

terrestrial (plural terrestrials)

1. (botany) A ground-dwelling plant.
2. Alternative letter-case form of Terrestrial (“Inhabitant of Earth”).
   • 1873, Richard Anthony Proctor, The Expanse of Heaven‎^[1], page 235:

     It will be manifest that natural scenery must present many beautiful varieties of effect altogether unfamiliar to us terrestrials, who know of no colours in scenery except those inherent in the objects themselves which form the landscape.

terrestrial (not comparable)

1. Of, relating to, or inhabiting the land of the Earth or its inhabitants, earthly.
   • 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.

2. Of, relating to, or composed of land.
   • 1997, “Review: Cinderella's house”, in New Scientist, number 2096:

     Microorganisms are the Cinderellas of terrestrial ecology — the majority of the Earth's biomass, yet barely catalogued.

4. Living or growing in or on land (as opposed to other habitat); not aquatic, etc.

   a terrestrial plant

5. (astronomy) Of a planet, being composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals; see also terrestrial planet.
6. Concerned with the world or worldly matters.
   • 1744, [Edward Young], “Night the Sixth. The Infidel Reclaim’d. In Two Parts. Containing, the Nature, Proof, and Importance of Immortality. Part the First. […]”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley […], →OCLC, page 14:

     A genius bright and base, / Of towering talents, and terrestrial aims.

7. (Mormonism) Of or pertaining to the second highest degree of glory.
   • 1974 February, “A Sure Trumpet Sound: Quotations from President Lee”, in Ensign‎^[2], page 77:

     We are now living and obeying celestial laws that will make us candidates for celestial glory; or we are living terrestrial laws that will make us candidates for terrestrial glory; or telestial.

   • 1977 August, Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Commandment: Save Thyself and Thy Kindred!”, in Tambuli‎^[3], page 5:

     Theirs is an everlasting terrestrial inheritance because they rejected the truth when it was offered to them in mortality.

8. (broadcasting) Broadcast using radio waves as opposed to satellite or cable.

• earthly
• planetary
• tellurian, telluric, Terran, terrene
• (of, relating to, or composed of land): land, landly
• (astronomy: Earth-like): telluric, rocky
• (concerned with the world): earthly, mundane, sublunary, worldly

• (antonym(s) of “of, made of, related to, or living or growing on land”): aerial, aquatic, arboreal, epiphytic
• (antonym(s) of “concerned with the world”): celestial, spiritual

• “terrestrial”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.