Meanings
- uncountableA type of astringent earth or clay originally from the Greek islands, formerly used as a medicine and antidote.
Terra sigillata (sealed earth) was a greasy clay, containing silica, alumina, chalk, magnesia and oxide of iron, found on the Greek islands of Lemnos, Melos and Samos.
1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 77 - uncountablepotteryA type of fine clay slip produced by mixing clay-water mixture with deflocculant and decanting the resulting water.
Terra sigillata, or ‘terra sig’ for short, is made by mixing a suitable clay with water and a deflocculant and leaving it to stand until the heavier particles of clay settle out.
2024, Sumi von Dassow, “Terra Sigillata 101: How to Make, Apply, and Troubleshoot Terra Sig”, in Ceramic Arts Network Daily, retrieved 23 Aug 2024
Synonyms & antonyms
nounearthenware made from the reddish-brown clay found on the Aegean island of Lemnos
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latinterra sigillāta
- Englishterra sigillata
From Medieval Latin terra sigillāta (literally “sealed, stamped earth”).
More words from Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with terra sigillata
Cite this entry
terra sigillata. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terra%20sigillata
“terra sigillata.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terra%20sigillata. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terra sigillata,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terra%20sigillata.
Source: terra sigillata on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.