firmament

English · Français · Deutsch · Română · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

firmament

/ˈfɜːməm(ə)nt/ UK
/ˈfɝməmənt/ US

Where it comes from

From Middle English firmament, furmament (“heaven; sky”), from Old French firmament (“firmament”), or from its etymon Latin firmāmentum (“support; sky”), from

firmāre (“to strengthen”) + -mentum (suffix indicating an instrument or medium, or the result of an action). Firmāre is the present active infinitive of firmō (“to make firm, strengthen”), from firmus (“firm, strong, stable”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“to hold; to support”).

The Latin word was used in the Vulgate version of the Bible to translate the

Ancient Greek στερέωμα (steréōma, “foundation, framework; firmament”) in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), which in turn was used to translate the Hebrew רָקִיעַ (rāqī́aʿ, “celestial dome, vault of heaven”), from the root ר־ק־ע (r-q-`); in Classical Syriac the similar root ܪ ܩ ܥ (related to compacting) gave rise to ܪܩܝܥܐ (rəqīʿā, “compact; firm; firmament, heavens, sky; celestial sphere”).

noun firmaments

also, figuratively, literary, poetic, uncountable, usually The vault of the heavens, where the clouds, sun, moon, and stars can be seen; the heavens, the sky. And thei that be wiſe, ſhal ſhine, as the brightnes of the firmament: & they that turne to righteouſnes, ſhal ſhine as the ſtarres, for euer and euer.
Similar: lift, welkin
countable The field or sphere of an activity or interest. the international fashion firmament
historical, uncountable In the geocentric Ptolemaic system, the eighth celestial sphere which carried the fixed stars; (countable, by extension) any celestial sphere. [B]etweene the ſphere of Saturne and the Firmament, there is ſuch an incredible and vaſt ſpace or diſtance (7000000. ſemidiameters of the earth, as Tycho [Brahe] calculates) void of ſtarres: [...]
uncountable The abode of God and the angels; heaven. Praiſe ye the Lord. Praiſe God in his Sanctuarie: Praiſe him in the firmament of his power.
countable, obsolete A piece of jewellery worn in a headdress with numerous gems resembling stars in the sky. Pins tipt with Diamond Point, and head, / By which the Curls are faſtened, / In radiant Firmament ſet out, / And all over the Hood ſur-tout: [...]
also, countable, figuratively, obsolete A basis or foundation; a support. Ten years ago, the Wall Street wirehouse brokerage firm seemed unassailable – part of the very firmament underpinning the entire investment industry from coast to coast.
countable, obsolete The act or process of making firm or strengthening.

Translations

Every language

noun vault of the heavens — see also heavens, sky

Español	firmamento
한국어	창공 changgong
日本語	穹蒼 kyūsō, 大空 ōzora, 天空 tenkū
中文	蒼穹 /苍穹 cāngqióng, 蒼天 /苍天 cāngtiān, 昊天 hàotiān, 皓天 hàotiān, 穹蒼 /穹苍 qióngcāng, qiōngcāng, 穹宇 qióngyǔ, qiōngyǔ
Português	firmamento, alturas
Français	firmament
Deutsch	Firmament, Feste
Italiano	firmamento
Ελληνικά	στερέωμα steréoma
Русский	небе́сный свод nebésnyj svod, небосво́д nebosvód, твердь tverdʹ
Tiếng Việt	bầu trời
العربية	رَقِيع raqīʕ, سماء samāʔ
עברית	רקיע raki'a

noun field or sphere of an activity or interest — see also field, sphere

Italiano	firmamento
Ελληνικά	στερέωμα steréoma

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"firmament." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/firmament. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

firmament. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/firmament

Chicago

"firmament." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/firmament.

BibTeX

@misc{firmament_2026,
  title = {firmament},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/firmament},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}