firm definition

English firm definition

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɜɹm/, [fɝm]

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɜːm/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)m

Etymology 1

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”).

Noun

firm (plural firms)

1. (UK, business) A business partnership; the name under which it trades.
2. (business, economics) A business enterprise, however organized.
   • 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:

     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”.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:enterprise

3. (slang) A criminal gang, especially based around football hooliganism.

Derived terms

• The Firm

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus (“strong, steady”). Doublet of dharma.

Adjective

firm (comparative firmer, superlative firmest)

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

   firm favourites

   • 2012 May 9, John Percy, “Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report”, in the Telegraph‎^[1]:

     With such constant off-field turmoil Hughton’s work has been remarkable and this may have been his last game in charge. West Bromwich Albion, searching for a replacement for Roy Hodgson, are firm admirers.

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)

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

firm (third-person singular simple present firms, present participle firming, simple past and past participle firmed)

1. (transitive) To make firm or strong; fix securely.
2. (transitive) To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify.
3. (intransitive) To become firm; stabilise.
4. (intransitive) To improve after decline.
5. (intransitive, Australia) To shorten (of betting odds).
6. (transitive, UK, slang) To select (a higher education institution) as one's preferred choice, so as to enrol automatically if one's grades match the conditional offer.

Translations

Adverb

firm (comparative more firm, superlative most firm)

1. (now rare) firmly, steadily

Translations

Further reading

• Firm in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• FRIM, fMRI, fmri, frim

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Chinese firm definition

Etymology 1

From English firm.

Pronunciation

Adjective

firm

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, of muscles) firm; strong; solid
2. (Hong Kong Cantonese, neologism) awesome; fantastic; amazing; terrific
3. (Hong Kong Cantonese, neologism, of relationship between friends) close; intimate

Noun

firm

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) firm; business (Classifier: 間／间)

Etymology 2

From clipping of English confirm.

Pronunciation

Verb

firm

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to confirm; to finalize

   • 我就同佢哋講咗您係佢哋直屬上司，菲密時都簽咗紙Firm咗㗎喇！ [Cantonese, trad.]
     我就同佢哋讲咗您系佢哋直属上司，菲密时都签咗纸Firm咗㗎喇！ [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016 September 30, 于日辰, 倫敦金2之《潛龍勿用》, page 212

     ngo⁵ zau⁶ tung⁴ keoi⁵ dei⁶ gong² zo² nei⁵ hai⁶ keoi⁵ dei⁶ zik⁶ suk⁶ soeng⁶ si¹, fei¹ mat⁶ si⁴ dou¹ cim¹ zo² zi² foem¹ zo² gaa³ laa³! [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

References

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

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German firm definition

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin firmus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɪʁm/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

firm (strong nominative masculine singular firmer, comparative firmer, superlative am firmsten)

1. (somewhat dated) experienced, well versed

Declension

Further reading

• “firm” in Duden online
• “firm” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

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Polish firm definition

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /firm/
• Rhymes: -irm
• Syllabification: firm

Noun

firm f

1. genitive plural of firma

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Zoogocho Zapotec firm definition

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish firma.

Noun

firm

1. signature

Derived terms

• chgoꞌo firm
• choꞌo firm

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish firme.

Adjective

firm

1. firm, fixed

References

• Long C., Rebecca; Cruz M., Sofronio (2000) Diccionario zapoteco de San Bartolomé Zoogocho, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 38)‎^[2] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Coyoacán, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., pages 220