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> Scientists have debated whether this event caused nearly as much terrestrial destruction. Is this the right phrasing? I thought the whole planet was terrestr
by yieldcrv 2y ago
> Scientists have debated whether this event caused nearly as much terrestrial destruction.
Is this the right phrasing? I thought the whole planet was terrestrial
Not a distinction between sea and land life
- WaltPurvis 2y agoUsing "terrestrial" to refer only to land-based life is proper, i.e., it's a common and accepted definition of the word.
- adrian_b 2y agoLatin "Terra" actually meant "dry", so it was the proper term for dry lands, as opposed to seas and oceans. For instance, "continent" is an abbreviation for "terra continens", i.e. dry land that is contiguous. Spanish "tierra" and the cognate words in the other Romance languages, which usually correspond to English "land", have remained closer to the original meaning of the word. The entire planet was very seldom, if ever, referred as "Terra". The correct Latin word for the entire planet was "Tellus" (whence the adjective "telluric"), whose likely meaning was "support" in the sense "the earth that supports us on it".