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American Dictionary of the English Language

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Firm


FIRM, adjective ferm. [Latin firmus. This is the root of Latin ferrum, iron.]

1. Properly, fixed; hence, applied to the matter of bodies, it signifies closely compressed; compact; hard; solid; as firm flesh; firm muscles; some species of wood are more firm than others; a cloth of firm texture.

2. Fixed; steady; constant; stable; unshaken; not easily moved; as a firm believer; a firm friend; a firm adherent or supporter; a firm man, or a man of firm resolution.

3. Solid; not giving way; opposed to fluid; as firm land.

FIRM, noun ferm. A partnership or house; or the name or title under which a company transact business; as the firm of Hope _ Co.

FIRM, verb transitive ferm. [Latin firmo.] To fix; to settle; to confirm; to establish.

And Jove has firm'd it with an awful nod.

This word is rarely used, except in poetry. In prose, we use confirm.