to alter a planet for the purpose of sustaining life
terraform in American English
(ˈterəˌfɔrm)
transitive verb
to alter the environment of (a celestial body) in order to make capable of supporting terrestrial life forms
Word origin
[1975–80; terra + form; perh. taken as v. use of an adj. with -form as second element]This word is first recorded in the period 1975–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: family therapy, front-load, hybridoma, noogie, videotex-form is a combining form meaning “having the form of”. Other words that use the affix-form include: moniliform, somatoform, stratiform, tectiform, villiform
Examples of 'terraform' in a sentence
terraform
Engineers can also make holograms, terraform atmospheres and perhaps even accelerate evolution.
The Sun (2017)
He intended to terraform a whole new world, and take pop — and us — with him.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He's not going to fit in anywhere - he's going to terraform a whole new world, and take pop with him.