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Firm
Definitions
- 1 Steadfast, secure, solid (in position)
"It's good to have a firm grip when shaking hands."
- 2 Fixed (in opinion).
"a firm believer; a firm friend; a firm adherent"
- 3 Insistent upon something, not accepting dissent.
"He wanted to stay overnight, but I was firm with him and said he had to leave today."
- 4 Durable, rigid (material state).
"firm flesh; firm muscles, firm wood; firm land (i.e. not soft and marshy)"
- 5 Mentally resistant to hurt or stress.
"[…] The life that almost dies in me: That dies not, but endures with pain, And slowly forms the firmer mind, Treasuring the look it cannot find, The words that are not heard again."
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- 6 Not frivolous or fallacious; trustworthy; solid; dependable.
"Although facilitators of the workshop for lesbians and bisexual women attempted to address the concerns of lesbians, little firm information emerged."
- 1 strong and sure wordnet
- 2 unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause wordnet
- 3 securely fixed in place wordnet
- 4 not soft or yielding to pressure wordnet
- 5 possessing the tone and resiliency of healthy tissue wordnet
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- 6 marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable wordnet
- 7 securely established wordnet
- 8 not subject to revision or change wordnet
- 9 not liable to fluctuate or especially to fall wordnet
- 10 (of especially a person's physical features) not shaking or trembling wordnet
- 1 firmly, steadily archaic
- 1 with resolute determination wordnet
- 1 A business partnership; the name under which it trades. UK
- 2 the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments wordnet
- 3 A business enterprise, however organized.
"Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms.[…]Banks and credit-card firms are kept out of the picture. Talk to enough people in the field and someone is bound to mention the “democratisation of finance”."
- 4 A criminal gang, especially based around football hooliganism. slang
- 1 To make firm or strong; fix securely. transitive
"Stolz said the move by ClubsNSW had only firmed his resolve to keep fighting for the right to disclose information in the public interest about money laundering in registered clubs."
- 2 make taut or tauter wordnet
- 3 To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify. transitive
- 4 become taut or tauter wordnet
- 5 To become firm; stabilise. intransitive
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- 6 To improve after decline. intransitive
- 7 To shorten (of betting odds). Australia, intransitive
- 8 To grit one's teeth and bear; to push through something unpleasant. colloquial, transitive
"I know you aren't feeling well, but just firm it."
- 9 To select (a higher education institution) as one's preferred choice, so as to enrol automatically if one's grades match the conditional offer. UK, slang, transitive
Etymology
From Italian firma (“signature”), from firmare (“to sign”), from Latin firmāre (“to make firm, to confirm (by signature)”), from firmus (“firm, stable”). The contemporary sense developed in the 18th century simultaneously with German Firma (“business, name of business”). There are conflicting statements in the literature as to which of the two languages influenced which. Doublet of dharma and dhamma. Other cognates include Russian держать (deržatʹ, “to hold”).
From Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus (“strong, steady”). Doublet of dharma.
From Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus (“strong, steady”). Doublet of dharma.
From Middle English fermen (“to make firm”), partly from (either through Old French fermer or directly) Latin firmō, from firmus (“firm”, adjective), and partly a new formation on the adjective.
See also for "firm"
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