Where does “terrain” come from?
Terrain comes from French terrain, from Latin terrenum (adjective form of terra, meaning earth or land), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ters-.
terrain (English): A single, distinctive rock formation; an area...
Definitions
- A single, distinctive rock formation; an area...
Ancestry of “terrain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | terrain | ground, landscape; field; lot, plot, parcel |
| 2 | Old French | terrain | — |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | terranum | — |
| 4 | Latin | terrenum | nominative neuter singular of terrēnus;... |
| 5 | Latin | Terra | Terra goddess of the Earth |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ters- | dry |
Words derived from “terrain”