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earthe

Earthe is a historical spelling of the word earth, used primarily in Middle English and Early Modern English. It does not denote a distinct object or concept beyond the ground or the planet itself, but rather represents an older graphic form of the same word.

Etymology and forms: The term originates from Old English eorþe, itself from Proto-Germanic *erþō. It is closely

Historical usage: In medieval and early modern texts, earthe appeared alongside earth as a standard form of

Modern usage and significance: Today, earthe is primarily of interest to linguists, philologists, and editors of

See also: Earth; Old English; Middle English; English spelling history.

related
to
the
German
Erde
and
Dutch
aarde.
The
spelling
earthe
reflects
early
English
orthography,
including
the
use
of
the
digraph
ea
and
a
final
silent
or
functional
e.
the
noun.
It
was
common
in
poetry,
religious
writing,
and
prose,
and
would
be
encountered
in
translations
and
glossaries
of
the
period.
Over
time,
standardized
spelling
settled
on
earth,
and
earthe
largely
fell
out
of
regular
use.
old
manuscripts.
It
is
generally
treated
as
an
archaic
variant
rather
than
a
separate
term.
In
modern
writing,
the
conventional
spelling
earth
is
used
exclusively,
while
earthe
may
appear
in
discussions
of
spelling
history
or
in
contexts
aiming
to
evoke
historical
atmosphere.