*earth*

[ From Cologne the city. ] (Min.) An earth of a deep brown color, containing more vegetable than mineral matter; an earthy variety of lignite, or brown coal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. derthe, fr. dere. See Dear. ] Scarcity which renders dear; want; lack; specifically, lack of food on account of failure of crops; famine. [ 1913 Webster ]

There came a dearth over all the land of Egypt. Acts vii. 11. [ 1913 Webster ]

He with her press'd, she faint with dearth. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dearth of plot, and narrowness of imagination. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Geol.), a deposit of fine, usually white, siliceous material, composed mainly of the shells of the microscopic plants called diatoms; also called infusorial earth, kieselguhr, and diatomite. It is used in polishing powder, and in the manufacture of dynamite. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

adj. facing reality squarely; guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory. Opposite of idealistic, unrealistic, impractical, and pie-in-the-sky.
Syn. -- hardheaded, hard-nosed, practical, pragmatic. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ AS. eorðe; akin to OS. ertha, OFries. irthe, D. aarde, OHG. erda, G. erde, Icel. jörð, Sw. & Dan. jord, Goth. aīrþa, OHG. ero, Gr. &unr_;, adv., to earth, and perh. to E. ear to plow. ] 1. The globe or planet which we inhabit; the world, in distinction from the sun, moon, or stars. Also, this world as the dwelling place of mortals, in distinction from the dwelling place of spirits. [ 1913 Webster ]

That law preserves the earth a sphere
And guides the planets in their course. S. Rogers. [ 1913 Webster ]

In heaven, or earth, or under earth, in hell. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The solid materials which make up the globe, in distinction from the air or water; the dry land. [ 1913 Webster ]

God called the dry land earth. Gen. i. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

He is pure air and fire, and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The softer inorganic matter composing part of the surface of the globe, in distinction from the firm rock; soil of all kinds, including gravel, clay, loam, and the like; sometimes, soil favorable to the growth of plants; the visible surface of the globe; the ground; as, loose earth; rich earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Give him a little earth for charity. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A part of this globe; a region; a country; land. [ 1913 Webster ]

Would I had never trod this English earth. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Worldly things, as opposed to spiritual things; the pursuits, interests, and allurements of this life. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our weary souls by earth beguiled. Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The people on the globe. [ 1913 Webster ]

The whole earth was of one language. Gen. xi. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Chem.) (a) Any earthy-looking metallic oxide, as alumina, glucina, zirconia, yttria, and thoria. (b) A similar oxide, having a slight alkaline reaction, as lime, magnesia, strontia, baryta. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. A hole in the ground, where an animal hides himself; as, the earth of a fox. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

They [ ferrets ] course the poor conies out of their earths. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Elec.) The connection of any part an electric conductor with the ground; specif., the connection of a telegraph line with the ground through a fault or otherwise.

☞ When the resistance of the earth connection is low it is termed a good earth. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

☞ Earth is used either adjectively or in combination to form compound words; as, earth apple or earth-apple; earth metal or earth-metal; earth closet or earth-closet. [ 1913 Webster ]

Adamic earth,
Bitter earth,
Bog earth,
Chian earth, etc. See under Adamic, Bitter, etc. --
Alkaline earths. See under Alkaline. --
Earth apple. (Bot.) (a) A potato. (b) A cucumber. --
Earth auger, a form of auger for boring into the ground; -- called also earth borer. --
Earth bath, a bath taken by immersing the naked body in earth for healing purposes. --
Earth battery (Physics), a voltaic battery the elements of which are buried in the earth to be acted on by its moisture. --
Earth chestnut, the pignut. --
Earth closet, a privy or commode provided with dry earth or a similar substance for covering and deodorizing the fæcal discharges. --
Earth dog (Zoöl.), a dog that will dig in the earth, or enter holes of foxes, etc. --
Earth hog,
Earth pig (Zoöl.), the aard-vark. --
Earth hunger, an intense desire to own land, or, in the case of nations, to extend their domain. --
Earth light (Astron.), the light reflected by the earth, as upon the moon, and corresponding to moonlight; -- called also earth shine. Sir J. Herschel. --
Earth metal. See 1st Earth, 7. (Chem.) --
Earth oil, petroleum. --
Earth pillars or
Earth pyramids (Geol.), high pillars or pyramids of earth, sometimes capped with a single stone, found in Switzerland. Lyell. --
Earth pitch (Min.), mineral tar, a kind of asphaltum. --
Earth quadrant, a fourth of the earth's circumference. --
Earth table (Arch.), the lowest course of stones visible in a building; the ground table. --
On earth, an intensive expression, oftenest used in questions and exclamations; as, What on earth shall I do? Nothing on earth will satisfy him. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Earthed p. pr. & vb. n. Earthing. ] 1. To hide, or cause to hide, in the earth; to chase into a burrow or den. “The fox is earthed.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cover with earth or mold; to inter; to bury; -- sometimes with up. [ 1913 Webster ]

The miser earths his treasure, and the thief,
Watching the mole, half beggars him ere noon. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why this in earthing up a carcass? R. Blair. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To burrow. Tickell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Ear to plow. ] A plowing. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Such land as ye break up for barley to sow,
Two earths at the least, ere ye sow it, bestow. Tusser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mil.) A bag filled with earth, used commonly to raise or repair a parapet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of various fungi of the genus Scleroderma having hard-skinned subterranean trufflelike fruiting bodies.
Syn. -- earth-ball, false truffle. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A bank or mound of earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Agric.) The part of a plow, or other implement, that turns over the earth; the moldboard. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Born of the earth; terrigenous; springing originally from the earth; human; having the characteristics of earthly life; as, earth-born beings. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

Some earthborn giant. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Relating to, or occasioned by, earthly objects. [ 1913 Webster ]

All earthborn cares are wrong. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Low; grovelling; vulgar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a small building with a bench having holes through which a user can defecate.
Syn. -- outhouse, privy, jakes. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. having the color of soil or earth; reddish or reddish-brown.
Syn. -- earthlike. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. pl. colors like those of soil or earth; brownish-reds and browns.
Syn. -- earth tones. [ PJC ]

n. An earthquake. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A mythical monster of the early Anglo-Saxon literature; a dragon. W. Spalding. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made of earth; made of burnt or baked clay, or other like substances; as, an earthen vessel or pipe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Hard-hearted; sordid; gross. [ Poetic ] Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Vessels and other utensils, ornaments, or the like, made of baked clay. See Crockery, Pottery, Stoneware, and Porcelain. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Min.) A variety of asbestus. See Amianthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A pronged fork for turning up the earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a god of fertility and vegetation. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a goddess of fertility and vegetation. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The quality or state of being earthy, or of containing earth; hence, grossness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Astron.) The sunlight reflected from the earth to the moon, by which we see faintly, when the moon is near the sun (either before or after new moon), that part of the moon's disk unillumined by direct sunlight, or “the old moon in the arms of the new.” [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. The quality or state of being earthly; worldliness; grossness; perishableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Earth + -ling. ] An inhabitant of the earth; a mortal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Earthlings oft her deemed a deity. Drummond. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Pertaining to the earth; belonging to this world, or to man's existence on the earth; not heavenly or spiritual; carnal; worldly; as, earthly joys; earthly flowers; earthly praise. [ 1913 Webster ]

This earthly load
Of death, called life. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. Phil. iii. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of all things on earth; possible; conceivable. [ 1913 Webster ]

What earthly benefit can be the result? Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Made of earth; earthy. [ Obs. ] Holland.

Syn. -- Gross; material; sordid; mean; base; vile; low; unsubstantial; temporary; corrupt; groveling. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of the earth or its people; worldly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Took counsel from his guiding eyes
To make this wisdom earthly wise. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a mind devoted to earthly things; worldly-minded; -- opposed to spiritual-minded. -- Earth"ly-mind`ed*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

n. [ Earth + mad an earthworm. ] (Zoöl.) The earthworm. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The earthmads and all the sorts of worms . . . are without eyes. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A name given to various roots, tubers, or pods grown under or on the ground; as to: (a) The esculent tubers of the umbelliferous plants Bunium flexuosum and Carum Bulbocastanum. (b) The peanut. See Peanut. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A species of pea (Amphicarpæa monoica). It is a climbing leguminous plant, with hairy underground pods. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A shaking, trembling, or concussion of the earth, due to subterranean causes, often accompanied by a rumbling noise. The wave of shock sometimes traverses half a hemisphere, destroying cities and many thousand lives; -- called also earthdin, earthquave, and earthshock. [ 1913 Webster ]

Earthquake alarm, a bell signal constructed to operate on the theory that a few seconds before the occurrence of an earthquake the magnet temporarily loses its power. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like, or characteristic of, an earthquake; loud; startling. [ 1913 Webster ]

The earthquake voice of victory. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An earthquake. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. sufficiently significant to affect the whole world; as, earth-shaking proposals; an earth-shaking event.
Syn. -- world-shaking, world-shattering(predicate), world shattering(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

See Earth light, under Earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An earthquake. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A curious fungus of the genus Geaster, in which the outer coating splits into the shape of a star, and the inner one forms a ball containing the dustlike spores. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. colors like those of soil or earth; brownish-reds and browns.
Syn. -- earth colors. [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.) A fungus of the genus Geoglossum.

{ } adv. Toward the earth; -- opposed to heavenward or skyward. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Mil.) Any construction, whether a temporary breastwork or permanent fortification, for attack or defense, the material of which is chiefly earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Engin.) (a) The operation connected with excavations and embankments of earth in preparing foundations of buildings, in constructing canals, railroads, etc. (b) An embankment or construction made of earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Zoöl.) Any worm of the genus Lumbricus and allied genera, found in damp soil. One of the largest and most abundant species in Europe and America is L. terrestris; many others are known; -- called also angleworm and dewworm. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A mean, sordid person; a niggard. Norris. [ 1913 Webster ]