Earth Is the Only Planet Not Named After a God
Earth is the planet we live on, and also soil. Its name comes from an ordinary word for ground rather than from mythology.
Earth is the planet we inhabit, and also soil or ground. Every other planet in the solar system is named after a Roman god — Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Uranus — but Earth is not. Its name is the ordinary Germanic word for ground, because for most of history it was not understood to be a planet at all. In British electrical usage, *earth* is also the connection Americans call *ground*.
- The planet. *Life on Earth.*
- Soil. *Turn the earth over.*
- Electrical ground (British). *The earth wire.*
- A fox's den. *The fox went to earth.*
- Down to earth — practical. *A down-to-earth person.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | earth | Rich earth. |
| Proper noun | Earth | Planet Earth. |
| Adjective | earthy | An earthy smell. |
| Verb | earth | Earth the appliance. |
| Old English | eorþe | Ground, soil. |
- The Earth orbits the Sun.Astronomy: capitalised.
- He dug the earth over.Soil: lower case.
- Check that the appliance is earthed.British electrics.
Planet names and their gods
- Mercury — the messenger, fastest around the Sun
- Venus — goddess of love, the brightest planet
- Mars — god of war, for its red colour
- Jupiter and Saturn — the chief god and his father
- Earth — no god at all, just the word for ground
Old English *eorþe*, ground or soil, from a Germanic root shared with German *Erde* and Dutch *aarde*.
Why is Earth not named after a god?
Because it was simply the ground underfoot, not recognised as a planet until long after the name was fixed.
Should Earth be capitalised?
Capitalise it when naming the planet as an astronomical body. Use lower case for soil and in phrases like on earth.