We live in a world in which everything seems so familiar and settled that we never think about why the things around us are named that way. How did the objects around us get their names? And why was our planet called "Earth" and not otherwise?
First, find out how the names are given. After all, astronomers discover new celestial bodies , biologists find new species 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 geographical objects, we turn to the science of toponymy. She studies geographical names. More precisely, she studies the origin, meaning, development of a toponym. Therefore, this amazing science is in close interaction with history, geography and linguistics. Of course, there are situations when the name, for example, street, is given just like that, by accident. But in most cases, toponyms have their own history, sometimes going back centuries.
The answer will be given by the planet.
When answering the question about why the Earth was called the Earth, one 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, it will be possible to find out why the Earth was called the Earth?
Regarding the most ancient names, scientists and researchers do not have an exact answer to the question of how exactly they arose. Today there are only numerous hypotheses. Which one is correct - we will not know this. As for the name of the planets, the most common version of their origin is as follows: they are named after the ancient Roman gods. Mars - the Red Planet - received the name of the god of war, who cannot be imagined without blood. Mercury - the most “frisky” planet orbiting faster than others around the Sun, owes its name to the lightning-fast messenger of Jupiter.
It's all about the gods
What deity owes its name to the earth? Almost every nation had such a goddess. The ancient Scandinavians - Jord, the Celts - Ehte. The Romans called it Tellus, and the Greeks called Gaia. None of these names resembles the name of our planet now existing. But, answering the question about why the Earth was called the Earth, let us remember two names: Jord and Tellus. They will still be useful to us.
Voice of science
In fact, the question of the origin of the name of our planet, which children love to torment their parents so much, has interested scientists for a long time. Many versions were put forward and crushed by opponents to smithereens until there were several that were considered the most probable.
In astrology, it is customary to use Latin names to designate planets . And in this language the name of our planet is pronounced as Terra ("earth, soil"). In turn, this word goes back to the pre-Indo-European ters in the meaning of “dry; dry". Along with Terra , the name Tellus is often used to denote the Earth. And we already met it above - that's what the Romans called our planet. A man as an exceptionally land creature could name the place where he lives, only by analogy with the earth, the soil under his feet. You can also draw analogies with biblical legends about the creation by God of the earthly firmament and the first man, Adam, from clay. Why was the Earth called Earth? Because for man it was the only habitat.
Apparently, it is by this principle that the name of our planet now exists. If we take the Russian name, then it came from the pro-Slavic root of the earth - which means “low”, “bottom” in translation. 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 how the Scandinavians called the goddess of the Earth?) - "soil" or "soil".
Another version of why the Earth was called Earth, says that man could survive only through agriculture. It was after the appearance of this occupation that the human race began to develop successfully.
Why is the Earth called the nurse
The earth is a huge biosphere inhabited by a diverse life. And all living things that exist on it are fed at the expense of the Earth. Plants take the necessary trace elements in the soil, they feed on insects and small rodents, which, in turn, serve as food for larger animals. People are engaged in agriculture and grow the necessary wheat for life, rye, rice and other types of plants. They breed cattle that feed on plant foods.
Life on our planet is a chain of interconnected living organisms that do not die only thanks to the Earth-nurse. If a new ice age begins on the planet, the probability of which scientists spoke again after the unprecedented cold weather this winter in many warm countries, then the survival of mankind will be in doubt. Ice-bound land will not be able to produce crops. Such is the disappointing forecast.