planet (English)

Where does "planet" come from?

The word "planet" traces back to the Ancient Greek term "planḗtēs," meaning "wanderer," which was used to describe celestial bodies that moved differently than the "fixed" stars. Passing through Latin and Old French before entering Middle English, the word originally referred to the Sun, the Moon, and the five visible planets. By the 17th century, its definition evolved from these early "wandering stars" to describe the specific astronomical bodies that orbit stars.

Full etymology tree

• planet (English), '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.'
  • inherited planete (Middle English), 'Each of the seven celestial bodies seen as moving relative to the rest of the stars: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.'
    • inherited planete (Old French), 'planet (celestial body that orbits a star)'
      • borrowed planeta (Latin), 'planet (wandering star)'
        • borrowed πλανήτης (planḗtēs) (Ancient Greek), 'wanderer, vagabond'
          • derived πλανάω (planáō) (Ancient Greek), 'to make to wander, lead wandering about'
            • inherited *pleh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'flat'
            • inherited *pel- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cover, to wrap'
          • affix -της (-tēs) (Ancient Greek), 'forms nouns representing a state of being'
            • inherited *-tāts (Proto-Hellenic)
              • inherited *-teh₂ts (Proto-Indo-European), 'Used to form nouns representing state of being'

Direct ancestors

• planete (Middle English)
• planete (Old French)
• planeta (Latin)
• πλανήτης (Ancient Greek)
• πλανάω (Ancient Greek)
• palor (Latin)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris