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Posted by on Dec 17, 2015 in TellMeWhy |

How Did Earth Get Its Name?

How Did Earth Get Its Name?

How Did Earth Get Its Name? The name “earth” comes from the Old English and German words “eorthe, ertha & erde.” Before people had the idea of the earth as a planet, our word “earth” simply meant the ground on which people walked.

The word later came to mean the planet itself, as well as the ground. The other planets in our solar system were named for the old Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Venus, for example, was named for the goddess of love and beauty.

Saturn was named after the Roman god of agriculture. Mars was named for the god of war. Jupiter, the largest planet, was named after the king of the ancient Roman gods. Earth is the only planet that wasn’t named after a Greek or Roman god or goddess.

Content for this question contributed by Kevin Kilgore, resident of North Tonawanda, Niagara County, New York, USA