ter ‧ rain /teˈreɪn, tə-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: French ; Origin: 'land, ground' , from Latin terrenum , from terra ; ⇨ ↑ terrace ]
a particular type of land:
rocky terrain
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THESAURUS
▪ the ground the surface of the earth, or the soil on its surface:
He collapsed and fell to the ground.
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The ground was wet and muddy.
▪ the ocean/forest/cave etc floor the ground at the bottom of the ocean, a forest, a cave etc:
Many wonderful creatures live on the ocean floor.
▪ land used when talking about an area of ground that is owned by someone, or is used for an activity. Also used when talking about the part of the earth’s surface that is not covered with water:
His family owns a lot of land.
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agricultural land
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She got off the ferry, happy to be back on dry land.
▪ terrain a type of land – used when talking about how easy an area of land is to cross, and whether it is rocky, flat etc:
The Land Rover is built to go over rough terrain.
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The terrain gets flatter when you go further south.
▪ earth/soil the substance that plants grow in:
The vegetables were still covered in black soil.
▪ mud wet earth:
Your shoes are covered in mud.