terra incognita

noun

ter·​ra in·​cog·​ni·​ta ˈter-ə-ˌin-ˌkäg-ˈnē-tə  -in-ˈkäg-nə-tə 

plural terrae incognitae ˈter-ˌī-ˌin-ˌkäg-ˈnē-ˌtī 

-in-ˈkäg-nə-ˌtī

: unknown territory : an unexplored country or field of knowledge

Did you know?

When Roman mapmakers drew a land area that no one had yet explored, they often labeled it "Terra Incognita"—that is, "Unknown Territory"—and the term continued to be used for centuries afterward. When Columbus and his successors first crossed the Atlantic, they entered upon terra incognita, a land that came to be called the "New World". But the term is just as useful for mental exploration. For most of us, subjects such as particle physics, French 17th-century drama, and soil mechanics are terra incognita, and we can only hope to live long enough to be able to explore some of them someday.

Examples of terra incognita in a Sentence

the terra incognita beyond those mountains

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s like 10 points of light, 10 equations among these thousands that have been studied reasonably well, and then there’s this whole terra incognita. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024

Discovering a world of middle eastern cuisine that was terra incognita to Americans, Nathan decided to compile a cookbook, The Flavor of Jerusalem, which showcased Jewish, Muslim and Christian dishes. —Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024

But the ticking of a nuclear clock comes from a comparative terra incognita, the mysterious domain of the strong force that binds nuclei together. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2024

Exceeding those targets would mean entering a climatic terra incognita. —Michael Oppenheimer, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above