planet

noun

plan·​et ˈpla-nət How to pronounce planet (audio)
1
a(1)
: any of the large bodies that revolve around the sun in the solar system
(2)
: a similar body associated with another star
b
: earth
usually used with the
one of the hottest places on the planet
c
: any of the seven celestial bodies sun, moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn that in ancient belief have motions of their own among the fixed stars
2
: a celestial body held to influence the fate of human beings
3
: a person or thing of great importance : luminary
planetlike adjective
planet table

Did you know?

Planet goes back to ancient Greek planēt- (literally, "wanderer"), which is derived from planasthai, a Greek verb which means "to wander." The word was originally applied to any of seven visible celestial bodies which appeared to move independently of the fixed stars—the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. In line with astronomical discovery and advancement, planet began to be used specifically of the rocky or gaseous bodies that orbit around the sun—a definition which excluded the moon and the sun but included the Earth and, as they were discovered, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union developed a narrower definition of planet, effectively demoting Pluto to the status of a "dwarf planet," a celestial body that is spherical and orbits the sun but is not large enough to disturb other objects from its orbit.

Examples of planet in a Sentence

our collective responsibility to conserve the planet and its natural resources for future generations
Recent Examples on the Web Lately, she’s been spending time with some of the biggest stars on the planet. Frances Solá-Santiago, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Venture capitalists are some of the most powerful people on the planet. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The most dominant team on the planet the last decade suddenly appeared shaky, uncertain and trending in the direction of telephone land lines. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 The matchmaking platform was established to connect Earthshot innovators with investors and philanthropists, helping to accelerate the scaling of solutions from the environmental prize that William founded in 2020 to help repair the planet over the next decade. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 That means the cold air trapped at the top of the planet, called the polar vortex, escapes its normal confines and drifts elsewhere, bringing short plunges of frigid air that temporarily counteracts the overall warming trend in places, Dr. Cohen said. Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 These astronauts were looking down, watching our planet darken, but the exciting research potential of total solar eclipses, says William Stefanov, NASA’s Exploration Science Office’s branch chief, to Smithsonian magazine, comes from observing—with proper protection—the barely visible slice of sun. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 Related article Snow is disappearing as the planet warms. Sara Tonks, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 The brief, horrific scenes of the Harkonnen home planet of Giedi Prime are some of the best in the film. Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'planet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English planete, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin planeta, modification of Greek planēt-, planēs, literally, wanderer, from planasthai to wander — more at floor

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of planet was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near planet

Cite this Entry

“Planet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/planet. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

planet

noun
plan·​et ˈplan-ət How to pronounce planet (audio)
: a heavenly body other than a comet, asteroid, or satellite that travels in orbit around the sun
also : such a body orbiting another star
planet table
Etymology

Middle English planete "planet," from early French planet (same meaning), from Latin planeta (same meaning), from Greek planēt-, planēs "planet," literally, "wanderer"

Word Origin
Most of the stars seem to have fixed positions when they are compared to other stars. There are some heavenly bodies, however, that clearly change their positions in relation to the stars and to each other. They seem to wander about among the fixed stars. The ancient Greek name for such a heavenly body was planēs, which means "wanderer." The English word planet comes from the Greek planēs. Unlike the ancient Greeks, we now know that the planets "wander" across the sky because they are revolving around the sun.

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