firm

Meanings

Noun

• A business partnership; the name under which it trades.
• A business enterprise, however organized.
• A criminal gang, especially based around football hooliganism.

Adjective

• Steadfast, secure, solid (in position)
• Fixed (in opinion).
• Insistent upon something, not accepting dissent.
• Durable, rigid (material state)

Verb

• To make firm or strong; fix securely.
• To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify.
• To become firm; stabilise.
• To improve after decline.
• To shorten (of betting odds).
• To select (a higher education institution) as one's preferred choice, so as to enrol automatically if one's grades match the conditional offer.

Adverb

• firmly, steadily

Origin

• From Italian firma ("signature"), from firmare, from Latin firmāre ("to make firm, to confirm (by signature)"), from firmus. 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. dharma, and dhamma.
• From Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus ("strong, steady"). dharma.