firmament

Etymology

English from the 13th century. Borrowed from Latin firmāmentum (from firmō (“strengthen”), from firmus (“firm”)), literally "that which strengthens or supports". The term is coined in the Vulgata in imitation of LXX στερέωμα (steréōma, “firm or solid structure”), which in turn translates Hebrew רקיע‎, strictly speaking a mistranslation, as the original Hebrew term meant "expanse", from the root רקע‎ "to spread out", which in Syriac had acquired the meaning "to make firm or solid".

Noun

firmament (plural firmaments)

1. (uncountable) The vault of the heavens; the sky.
   • 1611, King James Version, Genesis 1:6–8:

     And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven.

2. (obsolete) basis.
3. The field or sphere of an interest or activity.

   the international fashion firmament

4. (archaic) In the geocentric Ptolemaic system, the eighth sphere, which carried the fixed stars.

Further reading

• Firmament in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin firmāmentum.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

firmament m (plural firmaments)

1. firmament

Further reading

• “firmament” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

From German Firmament, from Middle High German firmament, from Late Latin firmāmentum.

Noun

firmament

1. firmament

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin firmāmentum.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

firmament m inan

1. celestial sphere, heaven, sky
2. (archaic) foundation.