planeta (Latin)

Where does "planeta" come from?

The Latin word 'planeta' is a direct borrowing from the Ancient Greek 'planḗtēs'[1]. This Greek term is derived from the verb 'planáō', which means 'to wander', combined with the masculine agent noun suffix '-tēs'[2]. Consequently, the word originally identified a 'planet' as a 'wandering star'[1].

Full etymology tree

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

Descendants and derived words

• planet (English)
• planeta (Asturian)
• planeta (Catalan)
• planète (French)
• pláinéad (Irish)
• pianeta (Italian)
• planeta (Occitan)
• planeta (Old Galician-Portuguese)
• planeta (Polish)
• planetă (Romanian)
• planeta (Spanish)
• Periplaneta (Translingual)

Sources

1. planeta (Latin) - Wiktionary
2. πλανήτης (planḗtēs) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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