extraterrestrially
|ex-tra-ter-res-tri-al-ly|
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/ˌɛkstrətəˈrɛstriəl/
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/ˌɛkstrətəˈrɛstrɪəl/
(extraterrestrial)
beyond Earth
Etymology
'extraterrestrial' originates from Latin elements: the prefix 'extra-' meaning 'outside' and 'terrestrialis' (from Latin 'terra') meaning 'earth'.
'extraterrestrial' was formed in Modern Latin as 'extraterrestrialis' (extra- + terrestrialis) and was adopted into English as 'extraterrestrial' in the 19th century to describe things beyond the Earth.
Initially it meant 'outside the Earth' or 'beyond the Earth', and it has retained that core meaning into modern usage, now applied to beings, phenomena, or origins not from Earth.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adverb 1
in a manner relating to, originating from, or occurring beyond the Earth; from outer space.
The unusual radio bursts seemed to originate extraterrestrially.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/09 14:11