terrenal

English

Etymology

From Latin terrēnus + English -al.

Pronunciation

• enPR: tĕ-rēn′əl, tĕr′ēn-əl
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /tɛˈɹiːn.əl/, /teˈɹiːn.əl/; /ˈtɛɹ.iːn.əl/, /ˈteɹ.iːn.əl/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /tɛˈɹin.əl/; /ˈtɛɹ.in.əl/
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /teˈɹiːn.əl/; /ˈteɹ.iːn.əl/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /tɛˈɹin.əl/, /tɛˈɹin.ʌl/; /ˈtɛɾ.in.əl/, /ˈtɛɾ.in.ʌl/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ʈɛ(ː)ˈɾiːn.al/; /ˈʈɛ(ː)ɾ.iːn.al/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːnəl, -ɛɹiːnəl
• Hyphenation: ter‧ren‧al

Adjective

terrenal (comparative more terrenal, superlative most terrenal) (obsolete)

1. Synonym of terrene (“pertaining to earth or the material world”). [a. 1555–1588]
   • 1547, Cœlius Secundus Curio, Pro vera et antiqua Ecclesiæ Christi autoritate (overall work in Latin), Basel, page 87; translated as John Philpot, transl., Defence of the Old and Ancient Authority of Christ's Church, quoted in OED, a. 1555:

     They looked for a terrenal kingdom.

     [original: Nam regnũ terrenum expectabant,]

Further reading

• “terrenal, adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *terrēnālis. First attested in the 14th century. By surface analysis, Latin terrēnus +‎ -al. Compare terrestre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [tə.rəˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [te.reˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: ter‧re‧nal

Adjective

terrenal m or f (masculine and feminine plural terrenals)

1. (religion) earthly, worldly (relating to the earth or this world, as opposed to heaven)

   Synonyms: terrè, mundà

Derived terms

• paradís terrenal

Related terms

• terra

Further reading

• “terrenal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “terrenal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “terrenal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “terrenal”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Spanish

Etymology

From terreno +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tereˈnal/ [t̪e.reˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: te‧rre‧nal

Adjective

terrenal m or f (masculine and feminine plural terrenales)

1. earthly, terrestrial

   Synonyms: mundanal, secular, terreno, terrestre

   Antonym: celestial

2. worldly

Derived terms

• extraterrenal
• paraíso terrenal

Related terms

• terreno
• terrero
• terrestre
• tierra

Further reading

• “terrenal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025