Usage Note
Aterrizar literally means to touch down (aircraft landing), from tierra (earth/land). In informal speech it can also mean 'to arrive' or 'to show up' (aterrizó sin avisar, he showed up without warning). The spelling-change verb -zar → -cé applies in the first-person preterite: aterricé.
Examples
"El avión aterrizó con retraso debido a la niebla."
Natural Translation
The plane landed late due to the fog.
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