tellus

Tellus is the Latin word for Earth and is used in various classical and modern contexts to denote the terrestrial globe. In Roman religion, Tellus is the personification of the Earth, a goddess associated with fertility, growth, and the abundance of the land. Her imagery and cultic references position her as a maternal earth figure akin to Gaia in Greek tradition, and she appears in inscriptions and liturgical contexts as a divine benefactor of crops and inhabitants.

In literary and scientific usage, Tellus has served as a formal or poetic name for the planet Earth within Latin texts. While Terra and Terra Mater are more common in later or modern Latin, Tellus persists in some classical poetry and scholastic works as a designation for the earthly realm.

Beyond classical and literary contexts, the name Tellus is used in contemporary times as a proper noun for organizations, projects, or publications related to earth sciences, geography, environment, or related fields. The term’s Latin origin and association with the Earth make it a symbolic choice for groups emphasizing terrestrial studies, planetary health, or sustainability.

See also: Terra, Gaia, Terra Mater, Earth.