Phrase guide

terra incognita

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Land that has never been explored, mapped, or surveyed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: uncharted territory

Antonyms: home ground, homeland

2

noun

Meaning 2

Ideas or concepts that have not yet been tried or explored.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: uncharted territory, uncharted water

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an unknown and unexplored region

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they came like angels out the unknown

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unknown, unknown region

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: region

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin terra incognita (“unknown land”).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: Yəcuc və Məcuc — unknown land
  • Chinese Mandarin: 未知領域 /未知领域 (wèizhī lǐngyù) — unknown land
  • Danish: ukendt land — unknown land
  • Danish: uudforsket land — unknown land
  • Dutch: terra incognita — unknown land
  • Finnish: terra incognita — unknown land
  • Finnish: tuntematon maa — unknown land
  • French: terra incognita — unknown land
  • French: terre inconnue — unknown land
  • German: Terra incognita — unknown land
  • German: unbekanntes Land — unknown land
  • Greek: άγνωστη γη (ágnosti gi) — unknown land
  • Japanese: 未知の国 (michi no kuni) — unknown land
  • Latin: terra incognita — unknown land
  • Polish: biała plama — unknown land
  • Russian: те́рра инко́гнита (tɛ́rra inkógnita) — unknown land
  • Russian: неизве́стная земля́ (neizvéstnaja zemljá) — unknown land
  • Danish: ukendt land — unexplored ideas
  • Danish: uudforsket land — unexplored ideas
  • Dutch: terra incognita — unexplored ideas
  • Finnish: terra incognita — unexplored ideas
  • Finnish: tuntematon alue — unexplored ideas
  • Polish: biała plama — unexplored ideas