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Earth definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EARTH, n. erth.
1. Earth, in its primary sense, signifies the particles which compose the mass of the globe, but more particularly the particles which form the fine mold on the surface of the globe; or it denotes any indefinite mass or portion of that matter. We throw up earth with a spade or plow; we fill a pit or ditch with earth; we form a rampart with earth. This substance being considered, by ancient philosophers, as simple, was called an element; and in popular language, we still hear of the four elements, fire, air,earth, and water.
2. In chimistry, the term earth was, till lately, employed to denote a simple elementary body or substance, tasteless, inodorous, uninflammable and infusible. But it has also been applied to substances which have a very sensible alkaline taste, as lime. The primitive earths are reckoned ten in number, viz, silex, alumin, lime, magnesia, baryte, strontian, zircon, glucin, yttria and thorina. Recent experiments prove that most or all of them are compounds of oxygen with bases, some of which appear to possess the properties of metals. In this case the earths are to be considered as metallic oxyds.
3. The terraqueous globe which we inhabit. The earth is nearly spherical, but a little flatted at the poles, and hence its figure is called an oblate spheroid. It is one of the primary planets, revolving round the sun in an orbit which is between those of Venus and Mars. It is nearly eight thousand miles in diameter, and twenty five thousand miles in circumference. Its distance from the sun is about ninety five millions of miles,and its annual revolution constitutes the year of 365 days, 5 hours, and nearly 49 minutes.
4. The world, as opposed to other scenes of existence.
5. The inhabitants of the globe.
The whole earth was of one language. Genesis 11.
6. Dry land, opposed to the sea.
God called the dry land earth. Genesis 1.
7. Country; region; a distinct part of the globe.
In this sense, land or soil is more generally used.
In scripture, earth is used for a part of the world. Ezra
1:2.
8. The ground; the surface of the earth. He fell to the earth. The ark was lifted above the earth.
In the second month--was the earth dried. Genesis 8.
9. In scripture, things on the earth, are carnal, sensual, temporary things; opposed to heavenly, spiritual or divine things.
10. Figuratively, a low condition. Revelation 12.
11. [from ear, L. aro, to plow.] The act of turning up the ground in tillage. [Not used.]
EARTH, v.t. To hide in the earth.
The fox is earthed.
1. To cover with earth or mold.
EARTH, v.i. To retire under ground; to burrow. Here foxes earthed.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on; "the Earth moves around the sun"; "he sailed around the world" [syn: Earth, earth, world, globe]
2: the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface; "they dug into the earth outside the church" [syn: earth, ground]
3: the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the ground" [syn: land, dry land, earth, ground, solid ground, terra firma]
4: the abode of mortals (as contrasted with Heaven or Hell); "it was hell on earth" [syn: Earth, earth]
5: once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
6: the concerns of this life as distinguished from heaven and the afterlife; "they consider the church to be independent of the world" [syn: worldly concern, earthly concern, world, earth]
7: a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage) [syn: ground, earth] v
1: hide in the earth like a hunted animal
2: connect to the earth; "earth the circuit"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English erthe, from Old English eorthe; akin to Old High German erda earth, Greek era Date: before 12th century 1. the fragmental material composing part of the surface of the globe; especially cultivable soil 2. the sphere of mortal life as distinguished from spheres of spirit life — compare heaven, hell 3. a. areas of land as distinguished from sea and air b. the solid footing formed of soil ; ground 4. often capitalized the planet on which we live that is third in order from the sun — see planet table 5. a. the people of the planet Earth b. the mortal human body c. the pursuits, interests, and pleasures of earthly life as distinguished from spiritual concerns 6. the lair of a burrowing animal 7. an excessive amount of money — used with the <real suede, which costs the earth to clean — Joanne Winship> • earthlike adjective II. verb Date: 1575 transitive verb 1. to drive to hiding in the earth 2. to draw soil about (plants) — often used with up 3. chiefly British ground 3 intransitive verb of a hunted animal to hide in the ground

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a (also Earth) one of the planets of the solar system orbiting about the sun between Venus and Mars; the planet on which we live. b land and sea, as distinct from sky. 2 a dry land; the ground (fell to earth). b soil, clay, mould. c bodily matter (earth to earth). 3 Relig. the present abode of mankind, as distinct from heaven or hell; the world. 4 Brit. Electr. the connection to the earth as an arbitrary reference voltage in an electrical circuit. 5 the hole of a badger, fox, etc. 6 (prec. by the) colloq. a huge amount; everything (cost the earth; want the earth). --v. 1 tr. (foll. by up) cover (the roots and lower stems of plants) with heaped-up earth. 2 a tr. drive (a fox) to its earth. b intr. (of a fox etc.) run to its earth. 3 tr. Brit. Electr. connect to the earth. Phrases and idioms: come back (or down) to earth return to realities. earth-closet a lavatory with dry earth used to cover excreta. earth-hog (or -pig) = AARDVARK. earth mother 1 Mythol. a spirit or deity symbolizing the earth. 2 a sensual and maternal woman. earth-nut any of various plants, or its edible roundish tuber, esp.: : 1 an umbelliferous woodland plant, Conopodium majus. 2 the peanut. earth sciences the sciences concerned with the earth or part of it, or its atmosphere (e.g. geology, oceanography, meteorology). earth-shattering colloq. having a traumatic or devastating effect. earth-shatteringly colloq. devastatingly, remarkably. earth tremor see TREMOR n. 3. gone to earth in hiding. on earth colloq. existing anywhere; emphatically (the happiest man on earth; looked like nothing on earth; what on earth?). Derivatives: earthward adj. & adv. earthwards adv. Etymology: OE eorthe f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Earth Earth, n. (Elec.) The connection of any part an electric conductor with the ground; specif., the connection of a telegraph line with the ground through a fault or otherwise. Note: When the resistance of the earth connection is low it is termed a good earth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Earth Earth, n. [AS. eor?e; akin to OS. ertha, OFries. irthe, D. aarde, OHG. erda, G. erde, Icel. j["o]r?, Sw. & Dan. jord, Goth. a[=i]rpa, OHG. ero, Gr. ?, adv., to earth, and perh. to E. ear to plow.] 1. The globe or planet which we inhabit; the world, in distinction from the sun, moon, or stars. Also, this world as the dwelling place of mortals, in distinction from the dwelling place of spirits. That law preserves the earth a sphere And guides the planets in their course. --S. Rogers. In heaven, or earth, or under earth, in hell. --Milton. 2. The solid materials which make up the globe, in distinction from the air or water; the dry land. God called the dry land earth. --Gen. i. 10. He is pure air and fire, and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him. --Shak. 3. The softer inorganic matter composing part of the surface of the globe, in distinction from the firm rock; soil of all kinds, including gravel, clay, loam, and the like; sometimes, soil favorable to the growth of plants; the visible surface of the globe; the ground; as, loose earth; rich earth. Give him a little earth for charity. --Shak. 4. A part of this globe; a region; a country; land. Would I had never trod this English earth. --Shak. 5. Worldly things, as opposed to spiritual things; the pursuits, interests, and allurements of this life. Our weary souls by earth beguiled. --Keble. 6. The people on the globe. The whole earth was of one language. --Gen. xi. 1. 7. (Chem.) (a) Any earthy-looking metallic oxide, as alumina, glucina, zirconia, yttria, and thoria. (b) A similar oxide, having a slight alkaline reaction, as lime, magnesia, strontia, baryta. 8. A hole in the ground, where an animal hides himself; as, the earth of a fox. --Macaulay. They [ferrets] course the poor conies out of their earths. --Holland. Note: Earth is used either adjectively or in combination to form compound words; as, earth apple or earth-apple; earth metal or earth-metal; earth closet or earth-closet. Adamic earth, Bitter earth, Bog earth, Chian earth, etc. See under Adamic, Bitter, etc. Alkaline earths. See under Alkaline. Earth apple. (Bot.) (a) A potato. (b) A cucumber. Earth auger, a form of auger for boring into the ground; -- called also earth borer. Earth bath, a bath taken by immersing the naked body in earth for healing purposes. Earth battery (Physics), a voltaic battery the elements of which are buried in the earth to be acted on by its moisture. Earth chestnut, the pignut. Earth closet, a privy or commode provided with dry earth or a similar substance for covering and deodorizing the f[ae]cal discharges. Earth dog (Zo["o]l.), a dog that will dig in the earth, or enter holes of foxes, etc. Earth hog, Earth pig (Zo["o]l.), the aard-vark. Earth hunger, an intense desire to own land, or, in the case of nations, to extend their domain. Earth light (Astron.), the light reflected by the earth, as upon the moon, and corresponding to moonlight; -- called also earth shine. --Sir J. Herschel. Earth metal. See 1st Earth, 7. (Chem.) Earth oil, petroleum. Earth pillars or pyramids (Geol.), high pillars or pyramids of earth, sometimes capped with a single stone, found in Switzerland. --Lyell. Earth pitch (Min.), mineral tar, a kind of asphaltum. Earth quadrant, a fourth of the earth's circumference. Earth table (Arch.), the lowest course of stones visible in a building; the ground table. On earth, an intensive expression, oftenest used in questions and exclamations; as, What on earth shall I do? Nothing on earth will satisfy him. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Earth Earth, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Earthed; p. pr. & vb. n. Earthing.] 1. To hide, or cause to hide, in the earth; to chase into a burrow or den. ``The fox is earthed.'' --Dryden. 2. To cover with earth or mold; to inter; to bury; -- sometimes with up. The miser earths his treasure, and the thief, Watching the mole, half beggars him ere noon. --Young. Why this in earthing up a carcass? --R. Blair.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Earth Earth, v. i. To burrow. --Tickell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Earth Earth, n. [From Ear to plow.] A plowing. [Obs.] Such land as ye break up for barley to sow, Two earths at the least, ere ye sow it, bestow. --Tusser.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Earth or the Earth is the planet on which we live. People usually say Earth when they are referring to the planet as part of the universe, and the Earth when they are talking about the planet as the place where we live. The space shuttle Atlantis returned safely to earth today. ...a fault in the Earth's crust. N-PROPER: oft the N 2. The earth is the land surface on which we live and move about. The earth shook and the walls of neighbouring houses fell around them. = ground N-SING: the N 3. Earth is the substance on the land surface of the earth, for example clay or sand, in which plants grow. The road winds for miles through parched earth, scrub and cactus... = soil N-UNCOUNT 4. The earth in an electric plug or piece of electrical equipment is the wire through which electricity can pass into the ground, which makes the equipment safe if something goes wrong with it. (BRIT; in AM, use ground) The earth wire was not connected. N-SING • earthed Light fittings with metal parts should always be earthed. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ 5. see also down-to-earth 6. On earth is used for emphasis in questions that begin with words such as 'how', 'why', 'what', or 'where'. It is often used to suggest that there is no obvious or easy answer to the question being asked. How on earth did that happen?... What on earth had Luke done?... PHRASE: quest PHR [emphasis] 7. On earth is used for emphasis after some negative noun groups, for example 'no reason'. There was no reason on earth why she couldn't have moved in with us... There is no feeling on earth like winning for the first time. PHRASE: with neg, n PHR [emphasis] 8. On earth is used for emphasis after a noun group that contains a superlative adjective. He wanted to be the fastest man on earth. = in the world PHRASE: adj-superl n PHR [emphasis] 9. If you come down to earth or back to earth, you have to face the reality of everyday life after a period of great excitement. When he came down to earth after his win he admitted: 'It was an amazing feeling'... PHRASE: PHR after v 10. If you say that something cost the earth or that you paid the earth for it, you are emphasizing that it cost a very large amount of money. (INFORMAL) It must have cost the earth. PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis] 11. hell on earth: see hell

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word _adamah'_. In Gen. 9:20 "husbandman" is literally "man of the ground or earth." Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules' burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.

(2). As the rendering of _'erets_, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). _Erets_ also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (2 Chr. 13:9). In the New Testament "the earth" denotes the land of Judea (Matt. 23:35); also things carnal in contrast with things heavenly (John 3:31; Col. 3:1, 2).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):

In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.

'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).

The word most in use is 'erets, undoubtedly from a most ancient root occurring in many languages, as English "earth," German Erde, Arabic 'ard. It is used in most of the senses of 'adhamah, but less as "soil" and more as "the earth" as a part of the universe; frequently with shamayim, "heavens," as in Ge 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

`Aphar and its root word and derivatives are closely paralleled in the Arabic, and refer mainly to "dust" or "dry earth" (compare Arabic `afir, "to be of the color of dust"; `afar "dust"; ya`fur, "a gazelle"; Hebrew `opher, "a gazelle"). Compare Ge 2:7: "Yahweh God formed man of the dust of the ground"; Job 2:12: ".... sprinkled dust upon their heads"; Ps 104:29: ".... they die, and return to their dust"; Ge 18:27: "dust and ashes."

In the Septuagint and New Testament, ge is used in nearly all cases, oikoumene being used a few times for the "habitable earth," as in Lu 21:26 the King James Version.

See further ANTHROPOLOGY; ASTRONOMY; EVOLUTION; WORLD.

Alfred Ely Day

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. World, globe, terrestrial ball, terraqueous orb. 2. Soil, ground, land, clod, turf, sod. 3. World, mankind, inhabitants of the globe. 4. This world, nature, natural order, temporal things, transitory state.

Foolish Dictionary

A solid substance, much desired by the seasick.

Moby Thesaurus

Earth, Gaea, Ge, Tellus, Terra, abri, acres, air, air-raid shelter, alluvion, alluvium, arable land, ashes, atom, atomic particles, billiard table, biosphere, body, bomb shelter, bombproof, bones, bowling green, brute matter, building block, bunker, burrow, cadaver, carcass, carpet, carrion, cave, chemical element, clay, clod, component, concealment, constituent, corpse, corpus delicti, cosmos, couch, cover, covert, coverture, creation, crowbait, crust, cyclone cellar, dead body, dead flat, dead level, dead man, dead person, decedent, deck, den, dirt, dry bones, dry land, dugout, dust, earthbound, earthly, element, elementary particle, elementary unit, embalmed corpse, esplanade, fallout shelter, fill, fire, flat, flatland, floor, floor covering, flooring, fluvioterrestrial, food for worms, form, foxhole, freehold, fundamental particle, funk hole, geography, geophilous, geosphere, glebe, globe, grassland, gravel, ground, hole, homaloid, horizontal, horizontal axis, horizontal fault, horizontal line, horizontal parallax, horizontal plane, horizontal projection, humus, hyle, hypostasis, lair, land, landholdings, late lamented, ledge, level, level line, level plane, lithosphere, loam, lodge, macrocosm, marginal land, marl, material, material world, materiality, matter, mean sea level, mew, mold, molecule, monad, mortal remains, mother earth, mould, mud, mummification, mummy, natural world, nature, orb, organic remains, parquet, parterre, pave, pavement, paving, physical world, plain, plane, planet, platform, plenum, prairie, real estate, real property, region, regolith, relics, reliquiae, remains, run, safety zone, sand, sea level, sea of grass, shelter, skeleton, sod, soil, sphere, steppe, stiff, storm cave, storm cellar, stuff, subaerial deposit, subastral, sublunar, subsoil, substance, substratum, surfacing, table, tellurian, telluric, tenement of clay, terra, terra firma, terrace, terrain, terraqueous, terrene, terrestrial, terrestrial globe, territory, the blue planet, the country, the dead, the deceased, the defunct, the departed, the four elements, the loved one, this pendent world, topsoil, trench, tunnel, turf, unit of being, universe, vale, vale of tears, water, water level, whole wide world, woodland, world

Moby Thesaurus

Gaea, Ge, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Tellus, Terra, Uranus, Venus, asteroid, biosphere, geography, geosphere, globe, inferior planet, major planet, minor planet, mother earth, planet, planetoid, secondary planet, solar system, superior planet, terra, terrestrial globe, terrestrial planet, the blue planet, this pendent world, vale, vale of tears, wanderer, whole wide world, world