My five year old daughter asked me today, "Daddy where did we get the name for Earth, our planet?" I could not answer, she was bemused. Anyone care to enlighten me on who named the planet Earth and why it is called Earth?

Arpeggionist

The word "Earth" is probably of Germanic origin (as in the German "Erde"). Aug 20 04, 8:17 AM

MaggieG 5

Some conservationists might say that it's called Earth because people treat it like dirt! Aug 20 04, 1:47 PM

Brainyblonde

Here is an excerpt from some FAQ's and a link. It may satisfy some curiosity. it's pretty impossible to say exactly who first named the planet 'Earth'. Actually, I really doubt one person really named it intentionally; rather it developed over time as part of the English language. Earth is Old English and German in origin, related to the Old Saxon 'ertha', the Dutch 'aerde', and the German 'erda'. The names were part of culture even before we really understood the significance of what planets are and where they are in space. http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=451 Earth is (beside Sedna) the only planet in the solar system, whose name is not derived from the Greek or Roman mythology. http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/earth.htm Aug 20 04, 8:38 PM

Arpeggionist

And this is only its name in English. In Hebrew the word is "Eretz", the name having stuck from the term in the first chapter of Genesis. In fact, now that I think of it, maybe the Germanic "Earth" is indirectly related more to the Hebrew than to the Latin "terra". Aug 21 04, 11:10 AM

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