Terrain Is the Ground Considered as an Obstacle
Terrain is a stretch of land seen in terms of its physical features. Soldiers, cyclists and geologists all use the word for the same reason.
Terrain is land considered in terms of its shape and surface. That is what distinguishes it from *land* or *ground*: terrain is what you have to cross. Military planners, race organisers and walkers all use the word because the question is always the same — how hard is this to move over.
- Land with its physical features. *Rough terrain.*
- An area of activity (figurative). *Familiar political terrain.*
- All-terrain — able to cross any ground. *An all-terrain vehicle.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | terrain | Difficult terrain. |
| Plural | terrains | Varied terrains. |
| Compound | all-terrain | An all-terrain bike. |
| Related | topography | Local topography. |
| Related | relief | A relief map. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The terrain slowed them to walking pace.Physical difficulty.
- This is familiar terrain for the committee.Figurative.
- The map shows the relief clearly.Height and shape.
Terrain words
- Topography — the detailed shape of the land
- Relief — the differences in height
- Contour — a line joining points of equal height
- Gradient — the steepness of a slope
- Traverse — to cross, especially a slope
From French *terrain*, from Latin *terrenum*, ground, from *terra*, earth — the same root as *terrace*, *territory* and *terrestrial*.
Terrain or landscape?
Landscape is what you see and how it looks. Terrain is what you have to cross and how hard it is.
What do contour lines show?
Points of equal height. Lines close together mean a steep slope; wide apart means gentle ground.