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| earth [ urth ] |
noun (plural earths) |
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| Definition: |
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1. astronomy Another spelling of Earth
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2. land: the solid dry land surface of Earth, as opposed to the sea or sky
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3. soil: the soft workable material in which plants grow
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4. human inhabitants of Earth: all the human inhabitants of Earth
(
formal
)
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5. pursuits of everyday life: the pursuits of everyday human life, especially as opposed to matters of the spirit
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6. U.K. burrow: the hole or underground lair of a fox or other burrowing animal
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7. U.K. electrical engineering Same as ground1 (sense 9)
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8. philosophy history one of four elements: in ancient and medieval philosophy, one of the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water, from which it was believed everything was made
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transitive verb (past and past participle earthed, present participle earth·ing, 3rd person present singular earths) |
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| Definition: |
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U.K. electrical engineering Same as ground1v (sense 1)
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| [ Old English eorþe< Germanic] |
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come or be brought back (down) to earth to return to reality after a period of happiness or unrealistic hopes
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on earth used to add intensity to a question, often indicating surprise or disbelief on the part of the questioner (informal)
 What on earth have you done to the computer now?
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