firmament

noun

fir·​ma·​ment ˈfər-mə-mənt 

1

: the vault or arch of the sky : heavens

Stars twinkled in the firmament.

2

obsolete : basis

3

: the field or sphere of an interest or activity

the international fashion firmament

She's a rising star in the city's artistic firmament.

firmamental

ˌfər-mə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

adjective

Synonyms

• blue
• heaven(s)
• high
• sky
• welkin

Examples of firmament in a Sentence

meteors flashing across the firmament

the stars in the firmament twinkled ever so brightly

Recent Examples on the Web

The invisible firmament is sustained not by the defiance of national sovereignty, as Srinivasan recommends, but by its clever manipulation. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

The house’s spring 2025 show paid tribute to both the star herself and other beloved ladies from the D&G firmament. —Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2024

So, why is this troubling policy still a part of the higher education firmament? —Frederick Hess, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

Among them was Ramesh Kapur, a wealthy Massachusetts entrepreneur, whose voice and checkbook carry weight in the firmament of Democratic Party fundraising. —Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin firmamentum, from Latin, support, from firmare

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

firmament

noun

fir·​ma·​ment ˈfər-mə-mənt 

: the arch of the sky : heavens