Why Earth was called the Earth? History of the origin of the name of our planet

We live in a world in which everything seems sohabitual and settled, that we never think about why things around us are named that way. How did the objects around us get their names? And why our planet was called "Earth", and not otherwise?

First, we learn how the names are given now. After all, astronomers open new celestial bodies, biologists find new kinds of plants, and entomologists - insects. They also need to give some name. Who is dealing with this issue now? You need to know this to find out why the planet was called "Earth."

Toponymy will help

Since our planet belongs to geographicalobjects, turn to science toponymy. It deals with the study of geographical names. More precisely, she studies the origin, meaning, development of the toponym. Therefore, this amazing science is in close interaction with history, geography and linguistics. Of course, there are situations where a name, for example, a street, is given simply because of accident. But in most cases, toponyms have their own history, sometimes going back centuries.

The answer will give the planet

Answering a question about why the Earth was namedEarth, we must not forget that our home is a cosmic object. It is part of the planets of the solar system, which also have names. Perhaps, studying their origin, will it be possible to find out why the Earth was called the Earth?

In regard to the most ancient names of scientists andresearchers do not have an exact answer to the question of exactly how they originated. For today there are only numerous hypotheses. Which of them is correct - this we will not know. As for the names of the planets, the most common version of their origin is this: they are named after the Roman gods. Mars - Red Planet - received the name of the god of war, which can not be imagined without blood. Mercury - the "fastest" planet, which rotates faster than the others around the Sun, owes its name to the lightning envoy of Jupiter.

It's all about the gods

What kind of deity does the Earth owe its name? Almost every people had such a goddess. The ancient Scandinavians have Yord, the Celts have Ehte. The Romans called it Tellus, and the Greeks called Gaia. None of these names on the present name of our planet is unlike. But, answering the question about why the Earth was called the Earth, remember two names: Yord and Tellus. They will be useful to us.

The Voice of Science

In fact, the question of the origin of the nameour planet, which children so love to torment their parents, has been interested in scientists for a long time. Many versions were put forward and broken by opponents to the nines, until there were few that were considered the most likely.

In astrology, Latin names are used to refer to planets. And in this language the name of our planet is pronounced as Terra ("the earth, the soil"). In turn, this word goes back to the pre-Indo-European ters in the meaning "dry; dry". Along with Terra The name is often used to denote the Earth Tellus. And it already met us above - so calledour planet the Romans. Man as a creature exclusively land could name the place where he lives, only by analogy with the earth, the soil that is under his feet. It is also possible to draw analogies with the biblical stories about the creation by God of the earthly firmament and the first man, Adam, from clay. Why Earth was called the Earth? Because for man it was the only place of habitation.

Apparently, it was on this principle that the present name of our planet appeared. If you take the Russian name, it happened from the Proto-Slavic root earth-, which means "low", "bottom". Perhaps this is due to the fact that in ancient times people considered the Earth flat.

In English, the name of the Earth sounds like Earth. It takes its origin from two words - erthe and eorthe. And those, in turn, came from an even more ancient Anglo-Saxon erda (remember, as Scandinavians called the goddess of the Earth?) - "soil" or "soil".

Another version of why the Earth was called the Earth, says that man could survive only thanks to agriculture. It was after the appearance of this occupation that the human race began to develop successfully.

Why the Earth is called the wet nurse

The earth is a huge biosphere,inhabited by a diverse life. And all the living things that exist on it are fed by the Earth. Plants take the necessary trace elements in the soil, they eat insects and small rodents, which, in turn, serve as food for larger animals. People are engaged in agriculture and grow the necessary wheat, rye, rice and other plant species. They breed cattle that feed on plant food.

Life on our planet is a chaininterconnected living organisms, which do not die only thanks to the Earth-wet nurse. If the planet starts a new ice age, the probability of which scientists once again spoke after unprecedented cold weather this winter in many warm countries, the survival of mankind will be in doubt. An ice-bound land can not yield a harvest. Such a disappointing outlook.