firm

firm

firm¹ [fʉrm]

adj.

[ME ferm < OFr < L firmus < IE base * dher-, to hold, support > Sans dhárma, precept, law, Gr thronos, armchair]

1. not yielding easily under pressure; solid; hard

2. not moved or shaken easily; fixed; stable

3. continued steadily; remaining the same [a firm friendship]

4. unchanging; resolute; constant [a firm faith]

5. showing determination, strength, etc. [a firm command]

6. legally or formally concluded; definite; final [a firm contract, a firm order]

7. Commerce not rising or falling very much; steady: said of prices, etc.

vt., vi.

to make or become firm, or solid, steady, stable, definite, etc.: often with up

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stand firm or hold firm

to be or remain steadfast in conviction despite attack, efforts to persuade, etc.

firmly

adv.

firmness

n.

SYN.- FIRM¹, in referring to material consistency, suggests a compactness that does not yield easily to, or is very resilient under, pressure [firm flesh ]; HARD is applied to that which is so firm that it is not easily penetrated, cut, or crushed [hard as rock ]; SOLID suggests a dense consistency throughout a mass or substance that is firm or hard and often connotes heaviness or substantiality [solid brick ]; STIFF implies resistance to bending or stretching [a stiff collar ]

firm² [fʉrm]

n.

[It firma, signature, hence title of a business < L firmare, to strengthen < firmus: see FIRM¹]

1. a business company or partnership of two or more persons: distinguished from a CORPORATION in that a firm is not legally recognized as a person apart from the members forming it

2. popularly any business company, whether or not unincorporated