: 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
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.
our collective responsibility to conserve the planet and its natural resources for future generations
Recent Examples on the WebWe are faced with being on a beautiful planet, in a beautiful world and have the opportunity to have the most incredible of lives. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2022 Amid the stress of living on a warming planet, playing video games is an escape for billions. Daniel Starkey, Ars Technica, 4 Sep. 2022 But Tel Aviv, where peak summer temperatures can regularly exceed 104 degrees, has been shining a light on the importance of shade through a number of municipal projects as the world grapples with a rapidly warming planet. Peter Yeung, oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2022 Earth’s mightiest new eye in the sky got its first ever shot of a planet in another solar system. Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022 Here’s why Pluto isn’t officially considered a planet anymore. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2022 Thompson will play a woman who wakes up on a distant planet to find the rest of the crew of her space station viciously murdered. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Aug. 2022 There, atop a 150-foot cinder cone, sits a building known as the Volcano House, a saucer-like structure that appears to have materialized from another planet or dimension.Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2022 Economics is not about the number of atoms on a finite planet; economics is about knowledge, and knowledge has no physical limits. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022 See More
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