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to terraform

to terraform

13 8.2
To change a place like a planet or desert so people can live there
  • verb
  • /ˈtɛrəˌfɔrm/
  • Specialized
: terraformar
  • If we can't terraform a broken Earth, there is no way we could terraform, say, Mars.
  • terraform the planet
  • terraforming Mars
  • terraform the world

I'm just thinking it would be easier to deflect the asteroid than to terraform Mars and ship a billion people there.

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Examples

  • The project aims to terraform uninhabitable regions on Earth to support human life.

  • And then I could terraform an entire world.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • One we find that way, or one we can terraform.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Should we consider terraforming these places on our own planet?

  • Basically, they took a huge lava field and terraformed it into a resort area.

    Blog text (10)
  • Many colonies tinkered with their new homes, and in some extreme cases, entire planets had been terraformed.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • They're terraforming the Earth.

  • Some Elysian commercial developers want to terraform Prokaryon to make it habitable, though its native ecology and any hidden intelligence would.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Scientists are developing new technologies to terraform Mars and make it habitable for humans.

  • In the future, we might be able to terraform distant planets and create new homes for humanity.

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Damage something so badly that it cannot be used or fixed

How Habitable

habitable
32 4.6
to terraform
  • Specialized
13 8.2
to adapt
130 3.2
to modify
229 3.2

Surface Forms

terraform infinitive
terraformed past participle
terraforming present participle
terrafirms third person singular

Morphology

terraform = form (semi-transparent) = terra + form

Meaning is compositionally 'terra' (earth) + 'form' (shape), but the combining form 'terra-' may be unfamiliar to average B1 learners.

Etymology

The word terraform comes from terra meaning 'earth' and form meaning 'shape' or 'make'. So, to terraform a planet is to 'shape it like Earth' and make it fit for people to live there.