planet

noun

(astronomy, current) 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.

construed with the or this: The Earth.

(now historical or astrology) 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.

(astronomy, historical) Any body that orbits the Sun, including the asteroids (as minor planets) and sometimes the moons of those bodies (as satellite planets)

Roots

planetesplanet- · Greek · wanderer

Synonyms for planet

planetoidn marsn globen

Synonyms & related words for planet

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of planet — including planetoid, mars, globe. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to planet

Explore words related to planet — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include planetary, earths, extrasolar, exoplanet, planetesimal, circumterrestrial, orbits, orbiting. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for planet

Common synonyms for planet include planetoid, mars, globe — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does planet come from?

The word planet breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root planet-, from Greek planetes (“wanderer”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.