planet means each of the seven major bodies which move relative to the fixed stars in the night sky—the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. It carries an Arena rating of 1356, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, planet ranks #11,649 of 14,440 for Most Satisfying to Say, #11,702 of 14,456 for The Improbable.
planet is pronounced /ˈplænɪt/.
Why “planet” is a great word
A celestial body in orbit around a star, massive enough for its own gravity to mold it into a nearly spherical form, and dominant enough to have swept its orbital neighborhood clear of rival debris. From Middle English planete, from Old French planete, from Latin planeta, from Ancient Greek πλανήτης (planḗtēs, 'wanderer'), from πλανάω (planáō, 'to wander'), so named because planets shift position against the fixed tapestry of stars; the modern scientific definition crystallized in the 1630s. Unlike a 'star,' which blazes with its own furnace-born light, or a 'dwarf planet,' which shares a planet's form but not its territorial dominion, a planet is a sovereign wanderer, polished by gravity into a sphere of stillness. It is the cold blue curve of Earth seen from the Moon, the ochre swirl of a Jovian storm, the dust-warmed silence of Mars at dusk—worlds that move with the quiet persistence of things carried along by gravity's unseen hand, their loneliness the price of their name.
Etymology
From Middle English planete, from Old French planete, from Latin planeta, planetes, from Ancient Greek πλανήτης (planḗtēs, “wanderer”) (itself an ellipsis of ἀστέρες πλανῆται (astéres planêtai, “wandering stars”)), from Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō, “wander about, stray”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Latin pālor (“wander about, stray”), Old Norse flana (“to rush about”), and Norwegian flanta (“to wander about”). More at flaunt. So called because they have apparent motion, unlike the "fixed" stars. Originally including also the moon and sun but not the Earth; modern scientific sense of "world that orbits a star" is from 1630s in English. The Greek word is an enlarged form of πλάνης (plánēs, “who wanders around, wanderer”), also "wandering star, planet", in medicine "unstable temperature
noun
- Each of the seven major bodies which move relative to the fixed stars in the night sky—the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.“Be they not dreames of humane vanity,[…]to make of our knowne earth a bright shining planet [translating astre]?”
- Any body that orbits the Sun, including the asteroids (as minor planets) and sometimes the moons of those bodies (as satellite planets)“A Discovrse concerning a New Planet. Tending to prove, That 'tis probable our Earth is one of the Planets”
- A body which is massive enough to be in hydrostatic equilibrium (generally resulting in being an ellipsoid) but not enough to attain nuclear fusion and, in IAU usage, which directly orbits a star (or multiple star) and dominates the region of its orbit; specifically, in the case of the Solar system, the eight major bodies of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.“Their decision will force a rewrite of science textbooks because the solar system is now a place with eight planets and three newly defined "dwarf planets"—a new category of object that includes Pluto.”
- construed with the or this: The Earth.“"My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects;[…]."”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- celestial 84% match — Of, relating to, or located in the sky or outer space, where the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars are visible. vs planet →
- wanderstar 83% match — A wandering star or other similar heavenly body; a comet; meteor; planet. vs planet →
- heliocentrism 83% match — The theory that the sun is the center of the universe. vs planet →
- geocentrism 83% match — A belief that the Earth is the center of the universe. vs planet →
- heaven 82% match — The sky, specifically:; The distant sky in which the sun, moon, and stars appear or move; the firmament; the celestial spheres. vs planet →
- firmament 81% match — The vault of the heavens, where the clouds, sun, moon, and stars can be seen; the heavens, the sky. vs planet →
- aphelion 81% match — The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, or other astronomical object, where it is farthest from the Sun. vs planet →
- galaxy 81% match — The Milky Way; the apparent band of concentrated stars which appears in the night sky over earth. vs planet →