Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “planet” come from?

Planet comes from Middle English planete, from Old French planete, from Latin planeta, from Ancient Greek πλανήτης (planētēs), meaning "wanderer," derived from πλανάω (planáō), "to wander."

planet (English): Each of the seven major bodies which move...

Definitions

  1. Each of the seven major bodies which move...

Ancestry of “planet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishplaneteEach of the seven celestial bodies which move...
2Old Frenchplaneteplanet
3Latinplanēta—
4Ancient Greekπλανήτηςwanderer, vagabond; planet; a fever that comes in...
5Ancient Greek-τήςAppended to verbs to form agent nouns
6Ancient Greekπεῖραtrial, experiment, attempt
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “planet”

  • planetary
  • interplanetary
  • planetarium
  • planetesimal
  • planetoid
  • protoplanetary
  • exoplanet
  • planetwide
  • exoplanetary
  • planetside
  • planetaria
  • protoplanet
  • planetology
  • planetfall
  • transplanetary
  • extraplanetary
  • planetocentric
  • planetlike
  • planetologist
  • planetward
  • circumplanetary
  • planeted
  • planetarily
  • preplanetary
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →