/ ˌterə ˈfɜːmə; NAmE ˈfɜːrmə/ noun
[ U ] (from Latin , usually humorous ) safe dry land, as contrasted with water or air
SYN dry land :
After two days at sea, it was good to be back on terra firma again.
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (denoting the territories on the Italian mainland which were subject to the state of Venice): from Latin , literally firm land .