telluric

T1E1L1L1U1R1I1C3

adjective

Pertaining to the Earth, earthly.

Similar
earthlyterrestrialtellurianterrenetelluric current
OriginFrench tellurique ← Latin tellus ← German Telluroxyd →
RareScrabble 10
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Meanings

adjectivetelluric (comparative more telluric, superlative most telluric)

comparative more telluric · superlative most telluric

  1. Pertaining to the Earth, earthly.

    My sister always says she loves novels where you feel an elemental strength, primordial, telluric.

    1981, Italo Calvino, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

    Synonyms: earthly, terrestrial, tellurian, terrene

  2. chemistryContaining tellurium in a lower valency than in tellurous compounds.
nountelluric (plural tellurics)

plural tellurics

  1. Synonym of telluric current.

    Other projects in progress at CRPL involve the study of audiofrequency tellurics (current induced in the earth) and earth conductivity measurements using atmospherics.

    1964, United States. National Bureau of Standards, Technical News Bulletin, volumes 48-49, page 131

    Synonyms: telluric current

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivePertaining to the Earth, earthly.

Similar
earthlyterrestrialtellurianterrene

nounSynonym of telluric current.

Similar
telluric current

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveof or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air

Similar
tellurianterrestrialterrene
Also see
telluriantelluric currentterreneterrestrial

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. GermanTelluroxyd
  2. Latintellus“earth; earthy”
  3. Frenchtellurique
  4. Englishtelluric

A borrowing of French tellurique, from Latin tellus (“earth; earthy”) and Tellus (“Earth, Gaia”) and -ique (forming adjectives). Subsequently also from tellurium, originally in telluric oxide from German Telluroxyd.

More words from French, Latin, German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan tel·lúric, tel·lúric
  • tel·lúricpertaining to the Earth
  • tel·lúriccontaining tellurium in a lower valency than in tellurous compounds
Dutch aards
  • aardspertaining to the Earth
Esperanto tera
  • terapertaining to the Earth
Finnish telluurinen
  • telluurinenpertaining to the Earth
French tellurique, tellurique
  • telluriquepertaining to the Earth
  • telluriquecontaining tellurium in a lower valency than in tellurous compounds
Italian tellurico, tellurico
  • telluricopertaining to the Earth
  • telluricocontaining tellurium in a lower valency than in tellurous compounds
Portuguese telúrico, telúrico
  • telúricopertaining to the Earth
  • telúricocontaining tellurium in a lower valency than in tellurous compounds
Spanish telúrico, telúrico
  • telúricopertaining to the Earth
  • telúricocontaining tellurium in a lower valency than in tellurous compounds
Cite this entry
APA

telluric. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telluric

MLA

“telluric.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telluric. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “telluric,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telluric.

Source: telluric on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.