terrainter‧rain /teˈreɪn, tə-/ ●○○ noun [countable, uncountable] 
rocky terrain► see thesaurus at ground
WORD ORIGINterrain
Origin:
1700-1800 French ‘land, ground’, from Latin terrenum, from terra; ➔ TERRACEEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Boots are the best footwear on rough terrain.
- The terrain on the island varies quite a bit.
- They had to drive very slowly over the difficult terrain.
- First there was the difficult terrain.
- For the moment, however, it is sufficient to reflect on the difficult terrain which we are traversing.
- In much of the up- and-down terrain between Dulzura and Tecate, the mountains themselves are the only barrier.
- Last year they came back for a checkup and medics found their wheelchairs were ruined by the war torn terrain.
- Rocky terrain with relatively easy access is the shore to look for.
- Sometimes, as a matter of necessity, you must tackle the harder terrain first.
- The further we moved towards the Rabari camp, the more desolate the terrain became.
- The mountain Nui Ba Den was a singular feature in my area of operation and a good example of hazardous terrain.
THESAURUS
the surface of the Earth, or the soil on its surface: · He collapsed and fell to the ground.· The ground was wet and muddy.
the ground at the bottom of the ocean, a forest, a cave etc: · Many wonderful creatures live on the ocean floor.
used when talking about an area of ground that is owned by someone, or is used for an activity. Also used when talking about the part of the Earth’s surface that is not covered with water: · His family owns a lot of land.· agricultural land· She got off the ferry, happy to be back on dry land.
a type of land – used when talking about how easy an area of land is to cross, and whether it is rocky, flat etc: · The Land Rover is built to go over rough terrain.· The terrain gets flatter when you go further south.
the substance that plants grow in: · The vegetables were still covered in black soil.
wet earth: · Your shoes are covered in mud.
Longman Language Activatorthe surface of the land · The ground was covered with snow.· He kicked Cook as he lay on the ground.· In the middle of the forest was a bare patch of marshy ground.· The ground sloped down from where we stood to the lake shore.
used when you are talking about how easy or difficult an area of land is to cross, for example because it is flat, has a lot of mountains etc: · The terrain on the island varies quite a bit.difficult/rough/mountainous etc terrain: · They had to drive very slowly over the difficult terrain.· Boots are the best footwear on rough terrain.
WORD SETSavalanche, nounaxis, nouncatchment area, nouncrater, noundinosaur, noundivide, nounelement, nounextinct, adjectivegallery, noungeo-, prefixgeophysics, nounglacial, adjectiveglaciation, noungoldfield, nounlandslide, nounlandslip, nounleach, verbmagnetic pole, nounmagnitude, nounmantle, nounmeteorite, nounmolten, adjectivemother lode, nounnatural history, nounonyx, nounopal, nounozone layer, nounpaleontology, nounpitchblende, nounPleistocene, adjectivePliocene, adjectiveprimeval, adjectivequake, verbquake, nounrarefied, adjectiverock, verbscour, verbshock wave, nounslide, nounsoapstone, nounstony, adjectivestream, nounstrip mine, nounsubcontinent, nounsubterranean, adjectivesuperficial, adjectiveterrain, nounterrestrial, adjectivetremor, nounundercurrent, nounvolcanic, adjectivevolcano, nounvortex, nounwater table, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a guide to surviving in even the most hostile terrain Sales increased last year despite the hostile economic environment.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
a particular type of land: a guide to surviving in even the most hostile terrain Sales increased last year despite the hostile economic environment.· Chariots can not move over obstacles or difficult terrain except to cross a river at a bridge or ford.· As such, he is the lightening rod for all criticism and suspicions that go with administering such difficult terrain.· Could this be the answer to preventing pollution on difficult terrain?· Calmly, I told him we were treading on difficult terrain here.· First there was the difficult terrain.· For the moment, however, it is sufficient to reflect on the difficult terrain which we are traversing.· We were used to building fences over sloping land and difficult terrain.· With a difficult terrain and scattered population, the provision of essential infrastructure like education and health services is obviously a problem.
· Hydrography One of the most striking features of the hilly terrain of viticultural Champagne is its network of rivers and canals.
· Army helicopters could not land because of the mountainous terrain and dense jungle.· The mountainous terrain could make it slow going for the ground rescue teams.· Rescue operations were hampered by the mountainous terrain.· How many fathers would drive their daughter 120 miles through mountainous terrain so she could attend weekly ballet and singing lessons?
· Three of the meteorites were found on rocky terrain where they may have fallen directly or been deposited by melted ice.· She writes long sentences without verbs, as if the rocky terrain inevitably makes action difficult.· This helps to avoid twisting an ankle when stalking these animals on the rocky terrain they favour.· We acquired our nickname, the Goats, in the Peninsular War when we proved our worth in rocky terrain.
· It's a new mobility aid designed to help blind people cover rough terrain.· Otis flew over the column, dropping flares to help the nearly blind tanks and APCs navigate the rough terrain.· The three person team was the first to cover 30 miles of rough terrain over two days.· Specially out-fitted bulldozers, called Rome Plows, also flattened huge areas of rough terrain.· So the question of her taking a five-mile hike across what in parts was sometimes rough terrain would never have occurred.· Several times, sweeps through rough terrain, which had previously yielded nothing, resulted in the discovery of enemy units.· At the top of the rise, in rougher terrain, the scenery improves dramatically as Gruinard Bay is suddenly revealed ahead.· Off road means parkland and rough terrain.
· Be warned though, the rolling hills and rugged terrain will test your mountain biking stamina to the extreme.· The entire loop is more than 15 miles and crosses some rugged terrain.· Rural counties such as Gwynedd suffer particularly since they often have very low density settlements, rugged terrain and relatively poor roads.· The rugged terrain of mountain jungles and hidden valleys also offered security.· The rugged terrain is inhabited by deer, antelopes and, locals say, wild donkeys.· Frozen mountain road. Rugged terrain on all sides.
rocky terrain► see thesaurus at ground