firmament

[ fur-muh-muhnt ]
See synonyms for firmament on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the vault of heaven; sky.

Origin of firmament

1
1250–1300; Middle English <Late Latin firmāmentum sky, Latin: support, prop, stay, equivalent to firmā(re) to strengthen, support (see firm2) + -mentum-ment

Other words from firmament

  • fir·ma·men·tal [fur-muh-men-tl], /ˌfɜr məˈmɛn tl/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use firmament in a sentence

  • And then high up in the firmamental darkness we heard the clamant cries of some great, passing birds.

    Sixes and Sevens | O. Henry
  • Manœuvres of a most extraordinary kind were going on in the vast firmamental hollows overhead.

  • Can the whole firmamental creation in its turn be nothing but a corner of some mightier scheme?

    Science and the Infinite | Sydney T. Klein
  • By the absolute equalization of this movement—or of such as this—had the cycles of the firmamental orbs themselves, been adjusted.

British Dictionary definitions for firmament

firmament

/ (ˈfɜːməmənt) /


noun
  1. the expanse of the sky; heavens

Origin of firmament

1
C13: from Late Latin firmāmentum sky (considered as fixed above the earth), from Latin: prop, support, from firmāre to make firm 1

Derived forms of firmament

  • firmamental (ˌfɜːməˈmɛntəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012