earth 
earth 1 (erth), v. [= LG. erden = Icel. jardha 
= Sw. jorda = Dan. jorde, trans., earth, bury ; 
from the noun.] I. trans. 1. To hide in or as 
in the earth. 
An you once earth yourself, John, in the barn, 
I have no daughter vor you. 
B. Jonson, Tale of a Tub, v. 2. 
The fox is earthed. Dryden, Spanish Friar. 
2. To put underground; bury; inter. 
Upon your grannam's grave, that very night 
We earthed her in the shades. 
B. Jonson, Sad Shepherd, ii. 1. 
Here silver swans with nightingales set spells, 
Which sweetly charm the traveller, and raise 
Earth's earthed monarchs from their hidden cells. 
John Rogers, To Anne Bradstreet. 
But now he hath served the sentence out, . . . 
Why not earth him and no more words? 
T. B. Aldrich, The Jew's Gift. 
3. To cover with earth or mold; choke with 
earth. 
O thou, the fountain of whose better part 
Is earth'd and gravel'd up with vain desire. 
Quarles, Emblems, i. 7. 
Earth up with fresh mould the roots of those auriculas 
which the frost may have uncovered. 
Evelyn, Calendarium Hortense. 
4. In elect., to put to earth; place in connec- 
tion with the earth. 
In dry weather they [conductors] are not earthed at all 
well, and a strong charge may then surge up and down 
them, and light somebody else's gas in the most surpris- 
ing way. Science, XII. 18. 
II. intrans. To retire underground ; burrow, 
as a hunted animal. 
Huntsmen tell us that a fox when escaped from the dogs, 
after a hard chase, always walks himself cool before he 
earths. Bp. Home, Essays and Thoughts. 
Hence foxes earthed, and wolves abhorred the day, 
And hungry churles ensnared the nightly prey. 
Tickell, Hunting. 
earth 2 (erth), n. [E. dial., < eat-3, plow, + -tit, 
noun-formative; early record is wanting, but 
eard, q. v.,in the sense of 'plowing' (OHG. art), 
is nearly the same word.] If. The act of plow- 
ing ; a plowing. 
Such land as ye break up for barley to sow, 
Two earths at the least, ere ye sow it, bestow. 
Tusser, Husbandry. 
2. A day's plowing. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
earth-auger (erth'a"ger), . Same as earth- 
borer. 
earth-ball (erth'bal), n. The truffle, Tuber ci- 
barium, which grows in the soil, and produces 
its spores within tuber-like bodies. 
earth-bath (erth'bath), . A remedy occa- 
sionally used, consisting of a bath of earth or 
mud. 
earth-board (erth'bord), n. The board of a 
plow that turns over the earth ; the mold-board. 
earth-bprer (erth'bor"er), n. A form of auger 
for boring holes in the ground, in which the 
twisted shank revolves inside a cylindrical box 
with a valve, which retains the earth till the 
tool is withdrawn. Also called earth-auger, 
earth-boring auger. See cut under anger. 
earth-born (erth'b6rn), a. 1. Born of the 
earth; springing originally from the earth : as, 
the fabled earth-born giants. 
Creatures of other mould, earth-born perhaps, 
Not spirits. Milton, P. L., iv. 360. 
2. Arising from or occasioned by earthly con- 
siderations. 
All earth-born cares are wrong. Ooldnnith. 
3. Of low birth ; meanly born. 
Earth-born Lycon shall ascend the throne. Smith. 
earth-bound (erth'bound), a. Fastened by 
the pressure of earth ; firmly fixed in the earth ; 
hence, figuratively, bound by earthly ties or in- 
terests. 
Who can impress the forest ; bid the tree 
Unflx his earth-bound root? 
Shak., Macbeth-iv. 1. 
earth-bred (erth' bred), a. Low; groveling. 
Peasants, I'll curl) your headstrong impudence, 
And make you tremble when the lion roars 
Ye earthbred worms. A. Brewer (?), Lingua, i. 6. 
earth-chestnut (erth'ches"nut), n. The earth- 
nut. 
earth-closet (erth'kloz"et), n. A night-stool 
or some convenience of that kind, in which the 
feces are received and covered by dry earth, 
earth-crab (erth'krab), n. An occasional name 
of the mole-cricket, Gryllotalpa vulgaris. 
earth-created (erth'kre-a"ted). a. Formed of 
earth. 
And an eternity, the date of gods, 
Descended on poor earth-created man ! 
Young, Night Thoughts, ix. 220. 
1820 
earth-current (erth'kur'ent), . See current. 
earth-dint (erth'din), . "[ME. erthedine. -dyn, 
-dene, < AS. eurth-dyne, an earthquake. < eortlir, 
earth, + dyne, a loud sound, din.] An earth- 
quake. 
Pestilences and hungers sal be, 
And erthedyns in many eontre. 
Hampolf, Prick of Conscience, 1. 4035. 
earth-drake (erth'drak),M. [< ME.*erthedrake, 
< AS. eorth-draca, < eorthe, earth, + draca, 
drake, dragon.] In Anglo-Saxon myth., a myth- 
ical monster resembling the dragon of chivalry. 
He sacrifices his own life in destroying a frightful earth- 
drake, or dragon. W. Spalding. 
earth-eater (erth'S^tfir), n. 1. Onewhoorthat 
which eats earth. 2. In ornith., specifically, 
Nyctibius grandis, the ibigau (which see). 
earthen (er'thn), a. [< ME. erthen, eorthen (AS. 
not recorded) = D. aarden = OHG. erdin, irdin, 
MHG. erdin, erden, G. erden, now irden = Goth. 
airtheins, earthen; as eartfe 1 + -e 2 .] Made of 
earth ; made of clay or other earthy substance : 
as, an earthen vessel. 
Go, and tao the erthene litil wynvessel of the crockere. 
Wydif, Jer. xix. 1. 
A beggarly acconnt of empty boxes, 
Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds. 
Shak., B. and J., v. 1. 
Do not grudge 
To pick out treasures from an earthen pot. 
Herbert. 
earthenware (er'thn-war), n. Vessels or oth- 
er objects of clay (whether alone or mixed with 
other mineral substances) baked or fired in a 
kiln, or more rarely sun-dried or otherwise pre- 
pared without firing. The term is often restricted to 
the coarser qualities, as distinguished from porcelain and 
stoneware and from terra-cotta. In this sense earthenware 
may be known from porcelain by its opacity, and from 
stoneware by its porosity, which latter quality may be rec- 
ognized by touching a fracture with the tongue, when the 
tongue will adhere to the porous earthenware, but not to 
stoneware. Earthenware may ue either unglazed, as bricks, 
ordinary flower-pots, etc., or enameled. See */"-', faience, 
majolica. 
Earthenware is described as a soft, opaque material 
formed of an earthy mixture, refractory, or hard to fuse, 
in the kiln. 
Wheatley and Delamotte, Art Work in Earthenware, p. 1. 
earth-fall (erth'fal), w. [= OFries. irthfal, erth- 
fel, erdfal = G. erdfall, a sinking of the earth, 
= Icel. jardhf all = D&n.jordfald = Svr.jordfall, 
an earth-fall.] Same as land-slide. 
earth-fast (erth'fast), a. [< ME. "erthfeste, < 
AS. *eorthfcest, eorthfest, < eorthe, earth, + fast, 
fast.] Firm in the earth, and difficult to be re- 
moved. 
earth-fed (erth 'fed), a. Fed upon earthly 
things; low; groveling. 
Such earthfed minds 
That never tasted the true heaven of love. 
B. Jomun. 
earth-flax (erth ' flaks), n. A fine variety of 
asbestos, with long, flexible, parallel filaments 
resembling flax. 
earth-flea (erth'fle), n. A name of the chigoe, 
Sarcopsylla penetrans : so called from its living 
in the earth. See cut under chigoe. 
earth-fly (erth'fli), n. Same as earth-flea. 
earth-foam (erth'fom), n. Same as aphrite. 
earth-gall (erth'gal), n. [< ME. *erthe-galle, < 
AS. eorth-gealla, < eorthe, earth, + gealla, gall.] 
1. A plant of the gentian family, especially the 
lesser centaury, Erythrcea Centaurium : so called 
from its bitterness. 2. In the United States, 
the green hellebore, Veratrum viride. 
earth-hog (erth'hog), n. The aardvark. Also 
called earth-pig. See Orycteropus. 
earth-holet, n. [ME. eorthehole.'] A cave. 
earth-house (erth'hous). n. [Sc. eird-, eard-, 
yird-h&use (see eard. 2) ; < ME. erthhits, eorthhus, 
< AS. eorth-hus (= Icel. jardh-hus = Dan. jord- 
hws = G. erdhaus), a cave, den, < eorthe, earth, 
+ Ms, house.] The name generally given 
throughout Scotland to the underground struc- 
tures known as " Plots' houses" or "Picts' 
dwellings." The earth-honse in its simplest form con- 
sists of a single irregular-shaped chamber, formed of un- 
hewn stones, the side walls gradually converging toward 
the top until they can be roofed by stones 4 or 5 feet in 
width, the whole covered in by a mound of earth risin" 
slightly above the level of the surrounding country. The 
more advanced form has two or three chambers. Earth- 
houses are frequent in the northeast of Scotland, occa- 
sionally thirty or forty being found in the same locality 
as in the Moor of Clova, Kildrummy, Abcrdeenshire. 
Querns, bones, deers' horns, plates of stone or slate, 
earthen vessels, cups and implements of bone, stone celts, 
bronze swords, etc., are occasionally unearthed in or near 
then;. Similar structures are found in Ireland. See 
beehive tottM, under beehive. 
earth-inductor (erth'in-duk-'tor), n. In elect., 
a coil of wire arranged so as to be capable of 
earth-plate 
rotation in a magnetic field, and connected with 
a galvanometer by means of which the induced 
current of electricity can be measured. It is 
used for measuring the strength of magnetic 
fields as compared with that of the earth, 
earthiness (er'thi-nes), n. 1. The quality of 
being earthy, or of containing earth. 
(He) freed rain-water . . . from its accidental, and as it 
were feculent earthiness. Boyle, Works, III. 103. 
2. Intellectual or spiritual coarseness; gross- 
ness. 
The grossness and earthiness of their fancy. Hammond. 
earthliness (erth'li-nes), . 1. The quality of 
being earthly; grossness. 2. Worldliness; 
strong attachment to earthly things. 3f. 
Want of durability; perishableness ; frailty. 
Fuller. 
earthling (erth'ling), n. [Not found in ME. 
(of. AS. eorthling, yrthling, a farmer, a tiller of 
the earth) (= G. erdling); < earth 1 + -h'wgr 1 .] If. 
An inhabitant of the earth; a creature of this 
world; a mortal. 
Humorous earthlings will control the stars. 
B. Jonson, Masque of Hymen. 
To earthlinffs, the footstool of God, that stage which he 
raised for a small time, seemeth magnificent. 
Drumjnond. 
2. One strongly attached to worldly things ; a 
worldling. 
earthly (erth'li), a. [< ME. erthly, ertheli, eorthe- 
li, -liclte, -lie, < AS. eorthlic (= OHG. erdlih = 
Icel. jardhligr), < eorthe, earth, + -lie, E. -ly 1 .] 
1. Pertaining to the earth or to this world; 
pertaining to the mundane state of existence : 
as, earthly objects; earthly residence. 
Eorthliche honeste thynges was offred thus at ones, 
Thorgh thre kynde kynges kneolyng to lesu. 
Piers Plowman (C), xxii. 94. 
Whan the hretheren of Gawein com thider ther be-gan 
the doell and sorowe so grete that noon erthly man myght 
devise noon gretter. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 300. 
Our earthly house of this tabernacle. 2 Cor. v. 1. 
2. Belonging to the earth or world : worldly ; 
carnal, as opposed to spiritual or heavenly; 
vile. 
How is he born in whom we did knowe non erthely de- 
lyte. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 1. 
Whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. 
Phil. iii. 19. 
This earthly load 
Of death, call'd life. Milton, Sonnets, ix. 
Myself 
Am lonelier, darker, earthlier for my loss. 
Tennyson, Aylmer's Field. 
3f. Made of earth; earthy: as, "earthly sub- 
stance," Holland. 4. Corporeal ; not mental. 
Great grace that old man to him given had, 
For God he often saw, from heaven night, 
All were his earthly eyen both blunt and bad. 
Spenser, F. Q. 
5. Being or originating on earth; of all things 
in the world; possible; conceivable: used chief- 
ly as an expletive. 
What earthly benefit can be the result? Pope. 
It is passing strange that, during the long period of their 
education, the rising generation should never hear an 
earthly syllable about the constitution and administration 
of their nation. Pop. Sci. Mo., XXVI. 29. 
= Syn. 1. Terrestrial, mundane, sublunary, etc. See world- 
ly. 
earthly-minded (erth'li-mm*'ded), a. Having 
a mind devoted to earthly things. 
earthly-mindedness (erth'li-min' / ded-nes), . 
Grossness ; sensuality ; devotion to earthly ob- 
jects; earthliness. 
earth-madt (erth'mad), n. [< eartl^ + maiP, 
a worm.] A kind of worm or grub. 
The earth-mads and all the sorts of worms . . . are 
without eyes. Holland. 
earth-moss (erth'mds), n. A book-name for a 
moss of the genus Phascum. 
earthnut (erth'nut), n. [< ME. "erthnote, < AS. 
eorth-nutufor *eorth-hnutit (=D. aardnoot = Gr. 
erdmiss = Dan. jordiiod = Sw.jordnot), < eorthe, 
earth, +hnutu, nut.] 1. The tuberous root of 
Sunimn flexuosum and B. Bulbocastanum, com- 
mon umbelliferous plants of Europe. See J3u- 
nium. 2. The groundnut, Arachis liypog&a. 
3. The tuber of Cyperus rotundus and some 
other species of the same genus. 
earth-Oil (erth'oil), . Same as petroleum .. 
earth-pea (orth'pe), . See pea. 
earth-pig (i'rth'pig), . Same as cnrtli-liof/. 
earth-pit (erth'pit), . A trench or pit, cover- 
ed with glass, for protecting plants from frost. 
earth-plate (erth'plat), . In elect., a metallic 
plate miried in the ground, forming the earth- 
connection of a telegraph-wire, lightning-con- 
ductor, or other electrical appliances. 
