Skip to content

terrenal

earthly

adjective teh-rreh-NAHL Rare

Origin: From Latin terrenalis, from terra, 'earth'.

Also means

worldly

Usage Note

Terrenal contrasts with the divine or spiritual — bienes terrenales (earthly goods), vida terrenal (life on earth). It is interchangeable with terreno (as an adjective) in religious contexts but terrenal is the more literary and formal choice. The phrase paraíso terrenal (earthly paradise) is a fixed expression.

Examples

"Los bienes terrenales no duran para siempre."

Natural Translation

Earthly goods do not last forever.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic