planet

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A large round object in space that moves around a star such as the Sun.

   Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun.

2. 2
   noun

   The Earth, especially thought of as the home of all living things.

   We must protect the planet for future generations.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Planet comes from Greek planētēs, meaning “wanderer.” Greek astronomers used the term for heavenly bodies that appeared to move against the fixed pattern of the stars; the Sun and Moon were once included among them.

From Middle English planete, from Old French planete, from Latin planeta, planetes, from Ancient Greek πλανήτης (planḗtēs, “wanderer”) (itself an ellipsis of ἀστέρες πλανῆται (astéres planêtai, “wandering stars”)), from Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō, “wander about, stray”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Latin pālor (“wander about, stray”), Old Norse flana (“to rush about”), and Norwegian flanta (“to wander about”). More at flaunt. So called because they have apparent motion, unlike the "fixed" stars. Originally including also the moon and sun but not the Earth; modern scientific sense of "wor…

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary