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Earth

//ɜːθ// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun

1
Alternative letter-case form of Earth; our planet, third out from the Sun. alt-of
"The astronauts saw the earth from the porthole."
2
The third planet of the Solar System; the world upon which humans live. uncountable, usually
"It's my theory that we'll keep being reborn on as many Earths as it takes until every person gets it exactly right from the moment they are born until the moment they die."
3
The personification of the Earth or earth, (chiefly) as a fertile woman or (religion) goddess. uncountable, usually

Noun

1
Soil. uncountable
"This is good earth for growing potatoes."
2
a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage) wordnet
3
Any general rock-based material. uncountable
"She sighed when the plane's wheels finally touched earth."
4
the concerns of this life as distinguished from heaven and the afterlife wordnet
5
The ground, land (as opposed to the sky or sea). countable, uncountable
"Birds are of the sky, not of the earth."

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6
the abode of mortals (as contrasted with Heaven or Hell) wordnet
7
A connection electrically to the earth ((US) ground); on equipment: a terminal connected in that manner. British, countable, uncountable
8
the solid part of the earth's surface wordnet
9
The lair or den (as a hole in the ground) of an animal such as a fox. countable, uncountable
10
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface wordnet
11
A region of the planet; a land or country. countable, uncountable
12
once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles), associated with the humour black bile wordnet
13
Worldly things, as against spiritual ones. countable, uncountable
14
The world of our current life (as opposed to heaven or an afterlife). countable, uncountable
""Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"—that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
15
The people on the globe. countable, metonymically, uncountable
"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one ſpeach."
16
Any planet similar to the Earth (our earth): an exoplanet viewed as another earth, or a potential one. countable, uncountable
"New space telescopes may accelerate the search for other earths that may be out there."
17
The human body. archaic, countable, uncountable
18
The aforementioned soil- or rock-based material, considered one of the four or five classical elements. countable, uncountable
19
Any of certain substances now known to be oxides of metal, which were distinguished by being infusible, and by insolubility in water. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The term Earths was formerly, and is still, but in a modified sense, applied to several substances which compose all the various rocks, stones, gems, mountains, and soils covering the face of the globe. They are tasteless, inodorous, dry, uninflamable, sparingly soluble, difficult of fusion, and of moderate specific gravity."

Verb

1
To connect electrically to the earth. UK, transitive
"That noise is because the amplifier is not properly earthed."
2
connect to the earth wordnet
3
To bury. transitive
"The Miſer earths his Treaſure; and the Thief, / Watching the Mole, half-beggars him ere Morn."
4
hide in the earth like a hunted animal wordnet
5
To hide, or cause to hide, in the earth; to chase into a burrow or den. transitive
"[…]the Fox is earth’d,[…]"

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6
To burrow. intransitive
"foxes earth'd"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English erthe, from Old English eorþe, from Proto-West Germanic *erþu, from Proto-Germanic *erþō (“dirt, ground, earth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁érteh₂ (“earth”). Cognates Cognate with Scots erd, yerd, yird, yirth (“earth, loam, mould, soil; ground”), Yola eard, eart, eord, eorth, erth (“earth”), North Frisian eerd, eerde, iarde, Iart, iir, jard, örd, Öört (“earth; world”), Saterland Frisian Idde, Äid, Äide (“earth; soil; ground”), West Frisian ierde (“earth; soil; ground”), Alemannic German Ëërde (“earth”), Bavarian Erd, Erdn (“world; soil; ground”), Central Franconian Ääd (“earth”), Cimbrian èerda (“earth”), Dutch aard, aarde (“earth”), German Erde (“earth; soil; ground; world”), German Low German Eer (“earth”), Limburgish eerd (“earth”), Luxembourgish Äerd (“earth; soil”), Vilamovian Ād (“earth”), Yiddish ערד (erd, “earth; soil”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish jord (“earth”), Faroese jørð (“earth”), Icelandic jörð (“earth”), Norn yurn (“the earth”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰 (airþa, “earth”); also Latin ōra (“border, edge, rim”), Breton erv (“ridge between furrows”), Welsh erw (“acre”), Ancient Greek ἔραζε (éraze, “to the ground”), Lithuanian erdvė (“expanse, space”), Albanian varr, vorr (“grave”), Tocharian B āre (“dust, loose earth”), Sanskrit उर्वरा (urvarā, “fertile soil, field yielding crops”), Hittite 𒅕𒄩𒀸 (er-ḫa-aš /⁠erḫaš⁠/, “border, boundary, line”). Probably unrelated, but of unknown etymology, is Old Armenian երկիր (erkir, “earth”). Likewise, the phonologically similar Proto-Semitic *ʔarṣ́- – whence Arabic أَرْض (ʔarḍ), Hebrew אֶרֶץ (ʾereṣ) – is probably unrelated.

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

From Middle English erthe, from Old English eorþe, from Proto-Germanic *erþō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- (“earth”). More at earth.

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