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earth (n.)

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.

Origin and meaning of earth

earth (v.)

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

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Definitions of earth from WordNet
1
earth (n.)
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on;
Synonyms: world / globe
earth (n.)
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface;
they dug into the earth outside the church
Synonyms: ground
earth (n.)
the solid part of the earth's surface;
the earth shook for several minutes
Synonyms: land / dry land / ground / solid ground / terra firma
earth (n.)
the abode of mortals (as contrasted with Heaven or Hell);
it was hell on earth
earth (n.)
once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles);
earth (n.)
the concerns of this life as distinguished from heaven and the afterlife;
Synonyms: worldly concern / earthly concern / world
earth (n.)
a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage);
Synonyms: ground
2
earth (v.)
hide in the earth like a hunted animal;
earth (v.)
connect to the earth;
earth the circuit
3
Earth (n.)
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on;
Synonyms: world / globe
Earth (n.)
the abode of mortals (as contrasted with Heaven or Hell);
it was hell on earth
From wordnet.princeton.edu