the third planet from the sun, the only planet on which life is known to exist. It is not quite spherical, being flattened at the poles, and consists of three geological zones, the core, mantle, and thin outer crust. The surface, covered with large areas of water, is enveloped by an atmosphere principally of nitrogen (78 per cent), oxygen (21 per cent), and some water vapour. The age is estimated at over four thousand million years. Distance from sun: 149.6 million km; equatorial diameter: 12 756 km; mass: 5.976 × 1024 kg; sidereal period of axial rotation: 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds; sidereal period of revolution about sun: 365.256 days
▶ Related adjectives: terrestrial, tellurian, telluric, terrene
2.
the inhabitants of this planet
the whole earth rejoiced
3.
the dry surface of this planet as distinguished from sea or sky; land; ground
4.
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the surface of the ground and consistsof disintegrated rock particles, mould, clay, etc; soil
5.
worldly or temporal matters as opposed to the concerns of the spirit
6.
the hole in which some species of burrowing animals, esp foxes, live
7. chemistry rare earth, alkaline earth
8.
a.
a connection between an electrical circuit or device and the earth, which is at zero potential
b.
a terminal to which this connection is made
US and Canadian equivalent: ground
9. Also called: earth colour
any of various brown pigments composed chiefly of iron oxides
10. (modifier) astrology
of or relating to a group of three signs of the zodiac, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn
Compare air (sense 20), fire (sense 24), water (sense 12)
11. cost the earth
12. come back to earth
13. on earth
14. run to earth
verb
15. (intransitive)
(of a hunted fox) to go to ground
16. (transitive)
to connect (a circuit, device, etc) to earth
Word origin
Old English eorthe; related to Old Norse jorth, Old High German ertha, Gothic airtha, Greek erā
Examples of 'eard' in a sentence
eard
`I never ` eard of no Barn owls telling stories," he said suspiciously.
Hocke, Martin THE ANCIENT AND SOLITARY REIGN
Then I pressed the play button, and we ` eard what you just `eard.