Meanings
- uncountableA white earthy substance consisting of burnt gypsum and aluminium silicate (kaolin), or some similar ingredient, such as magnesia. It is sometimes used to adulterate certain foods, spices, candies, paints, etc.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounfine white clay used in making tobacco pipes and pottery and in whitening leather
nouna fine usually white clay formed by the weathering of aluminous minerals (as feldspar); used in ceramics and as an absorbent and as a filler (e.g., in paper)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ters-
- Englishterra alba
Borrowed from Latin terra (“earth”) + alba (“white”), literally meaning "white earth". Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ters-.
More words from Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
terra alba. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terra%20alba
“terra alba.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terra%20alba. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terra alba,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terra%20alba.
Source: terra alba on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.