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earth

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Earth is the planet that you live on or dirt and mud. (noun)

An example of earth is the third planet from the sun.
An example of earth is the dirt or mud in your garden.

See earth in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

the planet that we live on; terrestrial globe: it is the fifth largest planet of the solar system and the third in distance from the sun: diameter, c. 12,760 km (c. 7,930 mi); period of revolution, one earth year; period of rotation, 24 hours; one satellite; symbol, ♁: often with the
this world, as distinguished from heaven and hell
all the people on the earth
land, as distinguished from sea or sky; the ground
the soft, granular or crumbly part of land; soil; ground
Old Poet.
1. the substance of the human body
2. the human body
3. the concerns, interests, etc. of human life; worldly matters
the hole of a burrowing animal; lair
Obsolete a land or country
Chem. any of the metallic oxides, formerly classed as elements, which are reduced with difficulty to an alkaline-earth metal, rare-earth element, or certain other metals
Elec., Brit. ground

transitive verb

to cover (up) with soil for protection, as seeds or plants
to chase (an animal) into a hole or burrow

intransitive verb

to hide in a burrow: said of a fox, etc.

See earth in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(ûrth)

noun

a. The land surface of the world.
b. The softer, friable part of land; soil, especially productive soil.
often Earth The third planet from the sun, having a sidereal period of revolution about the sun of 365.26 days at a mean distance of approximately 149 million kilometers (92.96 million miles), an axial rotation period of 23 hours 56.07 minutes, an average radius of 6,378 kilometers (3,963 miles), and a mass of approximately 5.974 × 10²⁴ kilograms (1.317 × 10²⁵ pounds).
The realm of mortal existence; the temporal world.
The human inhabitants of the world: The earth received the news with joy.
a. Worldly affairs and pursuits.
b. Everyday life; reality: was brought back to earth from his daydreams of wealth and fame.
The substance of the human body; clay.
The lair of a burrowing animal.
Chiefly British The ground of an electrical circuit.
Chemistry Any of several metallic oxides, such as alumina or zirconia, that are difficult to reduce and were formerly regarded as elements.

verb earthed, earth·ing, earths

verb, transitive

To cover or heap (plants) with soil for protection.
To chase (an animal) into an underground hiding place.

verb, intransitive

To burrow or hide in the ground. Used of a hunted animal.

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earth

cutaway of earth

See earth in Ologies

Earth

biosphere

that part of the earth’s surface where most forms of life exist, specifically those parts where there is water or atmosphere.

chthonic, chthonian

having to do with the underworld.

cosmosphere

a hollow glass globe for depicting the position of the earth in relation to the fixed stars at a given time.

diastrophism

the process of movement that causes the earth’s crust to form continents, mountains, oceans, etc. —diastrophe, n. —diastrophic, adj.

epeirogeny

the vertical movement or tilting of the earth’s crust, affecting broad expanses of continents. —epeirogenic, epeirogenetic, adj.

geochronology

the branch of geology that describes the past in terms of geologic rather than human time. —geochronologist, n. —geochronologic, geochronological, adj.

geodynamics

the science of the forces at work within the earth. —geodynamic, adj.

geogony

a theory or science about the formation of the earth. —geogonic, adj.

geolatry

Rare. worship of the things of the earth or of the earth itself.

geology

the science that studies the physical history of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the changes the earth has undergone and is undergoing. —geologist. n. —geologic, geological, adj.

geomalism

the tendency of organisms, under the influence of gravity, to be symmetrical. —geomalic, adj.

geomancy

a form of divination that analyzes the pattern of a handful of earth thrown down at random or dots made at random on paper. —geomancer, n.

geomorphology

the branch of geology that studies the form of the earth’s surface. —geomorphologist, n. —geomorphologic, geomorphological, adj.

geophagy

the eating of earthy matter, especially clay or chalk. —geophagist, n. —geophagous, adj.

georama

a large globe or sphere in which a spectator can stand and view a representation of the earth’s surface.

inclinometer

an instrument for measuring the inclination or dip of the earth’s magnetic force.

lithogenesy

the science of explaining the minerals of which the earth is composed, their origins, and the cause of their form and arrangement.

lithosphere

the solid part of the earth, as contrasted with the atmosphere and hydrosphere.

nutation

the periodic oscillation that can be observed in the precession of the earth’s axis and the precession of the equinoxes. See also head. —nutational, adj.

obliquity

the inclination of the earth’s equator or the angle between the plane of the earth’s orbit and the plane of the equator (23°27″). See also astronomy. Also called obliquity of the ecliptic. —obliquitous, adj.

planation

the formation of a flat or level surface by the process of erosion.

sphericist.

Rare a person who believes that the earth is round.

tellurist

a dweller on the earth. Also tellurian.

Learn more about earth

» earth synonyms

» EARTH abbreviations & acronyms

» Earth Culture

» earth medical definition

» earth phrase meanings