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Origin and history of earth

earth(n.)

Middle English erthe, from Old English eorþe "ground, soil, dirt, dry land; country, district," also used (along with middangeard) for "the (material) world, the abode of man" (as opposed to the heavens or the underworld), from Proto-Germanic *ertho (source also of Old Frisian erthe "earth," Old Saxon ertha, Old Norse jörð, Middle Dutch eerde, Dutch aarde, Old High German erda, German Erde, Gothic airþa), perhaps from an extended form of PIE root *er- (2) "earth, ground."

The earth considered as a planet was so called from c. 1400. Use in old chemistry is from 1728. Earth-mover "large digging machine" is from 1940.

earth

earth(v.)

"to commit (a corpse) to earth," late 14c., from earth (n.). Related: Earthed; earthing.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to earth

aardvark(n.)

also aard-vark, South African groundhog, 1833 (in German from 1824), from Afrikaans Dutch aardvark, literally "earth-pig" (it burrows), from aard "earth," from Proto-Germanic *ertho- (see earth (n.)) + vark "pig," from Middle Dutch varken "small pig," which is reconstructed to be from Proto-Germanic *farhaz (source also of Old High German farah, German Ferkel "young pig, sucking pig," a diminutive form; Old English fearh), from PIE root *porko- "young pig."

aardwolf(n.)

also aard-wolf, "small, insectivorous mammal native to East and Southern Africa, related to the hyena," 1833, from Afrikaans Dutch aardwolf, literally "earth-wolf," from aard "earth" (see earth (n.)) + wolf "wolf" (see wolf (n.)).

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earthworm
c. 1400, erþe-worme, popular name of the worms of the family Lumbricidae, from earth + worm (n.). In this sense Old English had eorðmata, also regnwyrm, literally "rain-worm." Old English also had angel-twæcce "earthworm used as bait" (with second element from root of twitch), so
land
Old English lond, land, "ground, soil," also "definite portion of the earth's surface, home region of a person or a people, territory marked by political boundaries," from Proto-Germanic *landja- (source also of Old Norse, Old Frisian Dutch, Gothic land, German Land), perhaps fro
ore
"a metalliferous mineral or rock," especially one worth mining, 12c., a merger of Old English ora "ore, unworked metal" (related to eorþe "earth;" see earth (n.); and cognate with Low German ur "iron-containing ore," Dutch oer, Old Norse aurr "gravel"); and Old English ar "brass,
Gaia
Earth as a goddess, from Greek Gaia, spouse of Uranus, mother of the Titans, personification of gaia "earth" (as opposed...to heaven), "land" (as opposed to sea), "a land, country, soil;" it is a collateral form of gē (Dorian ga) "earth," which...The Roman equivalent goddess of the earth was Tellus (see tellurian), sometimes used in English poetically or rhetorically...for "Earth personified" or "the Earth as a planet."...
mold
"fine, soft, loose earth," Old English molde "earth, sand, dust, soil; land, country, world," from Proto-Germanic *mulda...(source also of Old Frisian molde "earth, soil," Old Norse mold "earth," Middle Dutch moude, Dutch moude, Old High German...molta "dust, earth," Gothic mulda "dust"), from PIE root *mele- "to crush, grind."...Specifically, since late (Christian) Old English, "the earth of the grave."...
tellurian
"pertaining to the earth," 1846, from -ian + Latin tellus (genitive telluris) "earth, land, ground; the earth" (related to...Tellus, Roman goddess of the earth), probably from PIE root *telho- "ground, floor" (source also of Sanskrit talam "plain...patalas "bed;" Old Prussian tallus "floor;" Old Church Slavonic tilo "floor;" Russian potolok "ceiling;" Old Irish talam "earth...As a noun, "inhabitant of Earth" (with reference to supposed inhabitants of other worlds) from 1847....
apogee
"point at which the moon is farthest from the earth," 1590s, from French apogée or directly from Latin apogaeum, from Greek...apogaion (diastema) "(distance) away from the earth," from apogaion, neuter adjective, "from land," here in a specialized...sense "away from the earth," from apo "off, away" (see apo-) + gaia/ge "earth" (see Gaia)....A term from Ptolemaic astronomy, which regarded the earth as the center of the universe and applied the word to the sun and...
archipelago
c. 1500, from Italian arcipelago "the Aegean Sea" (13c.), from arci- "chief, principal," from Latin archi- (see arch-) + pelago "pool; gulf, abyss," from Medieval Latin pelagus "pool; gulf, abyss, sea," from Greek pelagos "sea, high sea, open sea, main" (see pelagic). The element
forest
late 13c., "extensive tree-covered district," especially one set aside for royal hunting and under the protection of the king, from Old French forest "forest, wood, woodland" (Modern French forêt), probably ultimately from Late Latin/Medieval Latin forestem silvam "the outside wo
foster
Old English *fostrian "to supply with food, nourish, support," from fostor "food, nourishment, bringing up," from Proto-Germanic *fostra-, from extended form of PIE root *pa- "to feed." Meaning "to bring up a child with parental care" is from c. 1200; that of "to encourage or hel

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