1. Literally, dry land, earth: The old flower pot in the garage was made of earthenware or terra cotta, in which the earth had been baked in an oven.
2. Any of the light-colored highland or mountainous areas of the moon or of a planet: When he looked through the telescope, James could view the terra on the closest planet to Earth.

The law of the land: Lex terrae, or legem terrae, refer to all of the laws in force inside a nation or area, as well as state laws and case-made laws.

1. An unknown land; an unexplored region: Before people existed, the world had only terrae incognitae.
2. A new or unexplored field of knowledge: The expression terra incognita is often used in referring to matters about which one is uninformed, e.g. "I don't think I can do this because it is terra incognita to me."

Land that does not belong to anyone; empty land; no-man's land: In Australia, the idea and legal concept that when the first Europeans arrived in Australia, the land was terra nullius and not possessed by any one, and therefore open to settlement. It has been judged not to be legally valid.