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.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI