Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An area of land; ground: climbed a tree to view the surrounding terrain.
- n. A particular geographic area; a region: a guide who knows this terrain well.
- n. The surface features of an area of land; topography: boots designed for rugged terrain.
- n. Variant of terrane.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A part of the earth's surface limited in extent; a region, district, or tract of land, either looked at in a general way or considered with reference to its fitness or use for some special purpose, as for a building-place or a battle-field: a term little used in English except in translating from the French, and then with the same meaning which it has in the original. The word is, however, also used in various idiomatic expressions, in translating a number of which the English word “ground” is most properly employed: as, “gagner du terrain,” to gain ground; “perdre du terrain,” to lose ground, favor, or credit; also with various metaphorical significations: as, “être sur son terrain,” to have to do with, or to speak of, that with which one is thoroughly familiar; “sonder le terrain,” examine the conditions, or look into the matter, etc. As used by French geologists, the word terrain has a somewhat vague meaning, and is usually limited by some qualifying term: as, “terrain de transition,” “terrain primitif.” This word was introduced into English geological literature by the translator of Humboldt's “Essai Géognostique,” where it was used, as he remarks, “because we have no word in the English language which will accurately express terrain as used in geology by the French.” Also spelled (but rarely) terrane.
Wiktionary
- n. geology A single, distinctive rock formation; an area having a preponderance of a particular rock or group of rocks.
- n. An area of land or the particular features of it.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a piece of ground having specific characteristics or military potential
Etymologies
- Borrowing from French terrain, from Latin terrenum ("land, ground"), neuter of terrenus ("consisting of earth"), from terra ("earth"). (Wiktionary)
- French, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *terrānum, alteration of Latin terrēnum, from neuter of terrēnus, of the earth; see terrene. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Lots of hunting areas have roads closed to vehicles, the terrain is all flat so it makes it alot easier.”
“As I live in an area in years of drought and the terrain is also in the mountains and very arid, I wondered what your experience in SMA was pertaining to this.”
“Not unlike many other coastal towns on the Southern Pacific, it offers much to those who live there: the sea yields an abundance of fish, the terrain is the beginning of the fertile, humid jungle, and bountiful crops like papaya and bananas grow in the rich, dark loam.”
“They found what they called a terrain map that had positions of U.S. troops and Iraqi forces basically arrayed out like in a sandbox.”
“Building a four-lane highway through that rugged terrain is no small task, and it will take a while longer to complete.”
“While I generally feel confident about my newfound path, the uncertain terrain can feel, at times, incredibly frightening.”
“The terrain is very much the terrain of my own life -- New England and New York, with Calcutta always hovering in the background.”
“Yes | No | Report from buckshot89 wrote 47 weeks 1 day ago in my opinion, the terrain is what would affect my choice between the 270 and 30-06. the 270 is great for long open spaces while the 06 can handle the possibility of brush. both are good rounds and each have their pros and cons. im with you ralph c, bigger is better and i prefer the trusty 12 ga slug.”
“In Somalia, they were operating at the end of long supply lines, in terrain unsuited to their small, mostly obsolete armored forces.”
“The terrain is ugly for anyone with a (D) next to their name and our nation is better for it.”
Can we start treating Chuckie Schumer (D-NY) as vulnerable NOW? | RedState
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘terrain’.
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shapes
words for shape
( randomness, visual. descriptive )triangular, conical, round, broad, congruous, hexagonal, globular, curved, oval, rectangular, parallel, crumpled and 142 more...
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AGRI - horse breeding
place bet, Przewalski's horse, piaffe, genus Claviceps, stadium jumping, draft animal, snaffle bit, noseband, equestrian sport, endurance riding, curb bit, dressage and 678 more...
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If it ain't broke
paint, quaint, maintop, saint, faint, dainty, ain't, unacquainted, the rain in Spain..., ruzuzutainment, 1 Mountain Artill..., Ukraine and 81 more...
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Rain
rain, Purple Rain, drain, rainbow, grain, rain shadow, rainforest, raindrops keep fa..., rain, rain, go away, Rainn Wilson, Black Rain, rainbow trout and 55 more...
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November Words-10033
sordid, protuberant, constabulary, confide, unsubstantiated, bureacrats, mammaries, tentative, enticingly, aberration, electro-acuscope, perithanatic and 18 more...
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French words in German language
words and phrases with french background commonly used in the german language, so-called "Gallizismen"
trottoir, paravent, rayon, perron, fauteuil, garage, arrangement, etablissement, portemonnaie, parterre, coupé, voliere and 123 more...
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Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
a, abandon, ability, able, abortion, about, above, abroad, absence, absolute, absolutely, absorb and 4334 more...
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Landscape
riparian, littoral, talus, fen, ambit, savanna, remnant prairie, shortgrass prairie, tallgrass prairie, marsh, swamp, marshy and 199 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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favorite words
ennui, bonhomie, eschew, liaison, serendipity, lovely, dusk, kitten, epitome, sexy, beloved, darling and 396 more...
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Amy's Word
Words that are hard...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, T
torquate, thalassocracy, toothsome, travois, tempestuous, tone, tincture, tripwire, tether, trill, tenacious, travesty and 355 more...
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the name of the rose
pleasing words I encounter whilst reading umberto eco's novel of the same name.
matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, compline, usurper, simoniac, heresiarch, malefactor and 230 more...
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windswept
windswept, yonder, valley, stony, terrain, squall, remote, kindling, plateau, parka, mist, embers and 14 more...
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vocab set 3
alternative, barter, commerce, confine, evolve, expand, expire, exploit, formal, inheritable, integral, mobility and 23 more...
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Geographical Fun
the Earth's geographic beauty & diversity.
arroyo, atoll, badlands, barrier island, berm, box canyon, cataract, chasm, escarpment, estuary, grotto, gulch and 54 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for terrain.

kmassie From the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. pg.139
"I can't stop trying to imagine exactly what terrain i'll be thrown into." Nov 29, 2010