planète (French)

Where does "planète" come from?

The French noun 'planète' originates from the Latin 'planēta'[1], which was itself borrowed from the Ancient Greek 'πλανήτης'[2]. This Greek term means 'wanderer' or 'planet'[1], acting as an agent noun derived from the verb 'πλανάω', meaning 'to wander'[3]. The connection emphasizes the ancient observation that planets moved across the night sky, unlike the fixed stars[1].

Open questions

• The etymological origin of the Ancient Greek verb 'πλανάω' remains uncertain because the connection to Proto-Indo-European roots for 'flat' or 'broad' is semantically difficult to reconcile. [4] [5]

Full etymology tree

• planète (French), 'planet'
  • inherited planeta (Latin), 'planet (wandering star)'
    • borrowed πλανήτης (planḗtēs) (Ancient Greek), 'wanderer, vagabond'
      • derived πλανάω (planáō) (Ancient Greek), 'to make to wander, lead wandering about'
      • suffix -της (-tēs) (Ancient Greek), 'forms nouns representing a state of being'

Direct ancestors

• planeta (Latin)
• πλανήτης (Ancient Greek)

Sources

1. planète (French) - Wiktionary
2. planeta (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. πλανήτης (planḗtēs) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
4. πλανάω (planáō) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
5. pleh₂- (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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