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earth
cutaway of earth
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earth
 (ūrth)
KEY
NOUN:
-
- The land surface of the world.
- 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.
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- Worldly affairs and pursuits.
- 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.
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Chiefly British
The ground of an electrical circuit.
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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:
tr.
- To cover or heap (plants) with soil for protection.
- To chase (an animal) into an underground hiding place.
VERB:
intr.
- To burrow or hide in the ground. Used of a hunted animal.
IDIOM:
on earth
- Among all the possibilities:
Why on earth did you put on that outfit?
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English erthe, from Old English eorthe; see er-
2 in Indo-European roots |
