(a) The physical earth as part of God's creation, often as contrasted with the heavens above and hell below; (b) the earth as a sphere.

(a) This earth (often contrasted with heaven and/or hell) as the dwelling-place of man and other creatures; in erthe, on erthe; salt of the erthe; (b) this earth as a symbol of worldly things and pursuits.

The people of the earth.

(a) An extended portion of the earth's surface having territorial boundaries; a country, a land; also, native country, homeland; (b) chirch erthe, churchyard.

The dry part of the earth's surface as distinguished from the watery part; land.

(a) The ground as a surface; the surface of the ground; losen erthe, to lose ground; winnen erthe on, to gain ground upon; (b) the ground as a stratum having solidity or thickness; the earth's dry crust; worm of the erthe, an earthworm; (c) the ground as a place of burial; bringen in, on, til, to (the) erthe, to bury; also, leden to erthe, leien in (on) erthe, etc.; (d) the ground as dwelling and hiding place of burrowing animals; an animal's burrow.

The earth as cultivated or as natural bearer of vegetation; arable land, soil; also, a plot of arable land.

The common, friable substance of which the ground is composed; earth, dirt, topsoil; also, a (specified) kind of this substance.

(a) beveres erthe, castoreum; (b) erthe of formicarum, stuff of an anthill; (c) erthe of the grindinge ston (milne ston), a medicinal substance containing powder or dust from a grindstone; (d) fulleres erthe, fulling erthe, fuller's earth; (e) Sarazin erthe, prob. one of the substitutes for Lemnian earth, the original terra sigillata; (f) Spanish erthe, prob. another of the substitutes for Lemnian earth; (g) whit erthe, chalk.

Potters' clay.

'Earth' or 'dust' as the substance of which God made the body of Adam and other creatures and to which all creatures return; also, man as made of 'earth'.

Earth as one of the four 'elements'.

Alch. (a) A substance resembling the 'element' earth, as in its relatively stable nature or its cold and dry qualities; (b) the incombustible calx or ash of a mineral.

erthes, rendering L terrae, in various senses.

Combs.: (a) erth(e appel, prob. = erthe note; (b) erth(e bed, a grave; (c) erth(e bete, the beet; (d) erth(e bifung, earthquake; (e) erth(e brid, a bird that stays close to, or nests on, the ground; (f) erth(e chine, a crevice in the ground; (g) erthe clot, a lump of earth; (h) erthe demere, the judge of this earth, God; (i) erth(e dine, ~ dune, ~ dene, quaking of the earth, earthquake; (j) erthe fen, fen land; (k) erthe ferne, a fern, prob. Venus's hair (Capillus veneris); (l) erth(e galle, a centaury (prob. Centaurium umbellatum), applied to gentian; (m) erthe ground, the earth; (n) erthe grine, earthquake; (o) erthe grithe, earthquake; (p) erth(e)-grouen, ?grown up in a cave or in filth, as vermin; (q) erthe heighte, a mound or hill; (r) erth(e hol, a cave; (s) erthe horn, a contrivance for making a noise underground (see OD); (t) erth(e hous, [OE eorþhūs], a dwelling or hiding place in the earth, a cave; fig. a grave; (u) erth(e ivi, ~ iven, the ground ivy; (v) erthe kin, mankind; (w) erthe knight, a knight of this earth; (x) erthe marche, a boundary marked by a ridge of earth; (y) erth(e man, man dwelling on earth; (z) erthe molde, this earth; (aa) erthe movinge, earthquake; (bb) erthe pot, an earthen pot; (cc) erthe potter, one who makes earthen pots, a potter; (dd) erth(e navele, asparagus [acc. to Cockayne Leechdoms 1.238]; (ee) erthe note, er-note, earth nut or pig nut (Bunium); the tuber of the European cyclamen (Cyclamen); ?also, fig., something hidden; (ff) erthe quake, ~ quakinge, earthquake; (gg) erthe quave, earthquake; (hh) erthe riche, the earthly kingdom, the earth; (ii) erthe shake, ~ shakinge, earthquake; (jj) erthe slime, slime of the earth, mud; (kk) erthe thral, man as enslaved by earthly pursuits; (ll) ~ tillere, ~ tilie [OE eorþtilia], one who tills the soil, a farmer; (mm) erthe tillinge, ~ telinge, ~ tilthe [OE eorþtilþ], tilling of the soil, farming, agriculture; (nn) erthe vessel, an earthen vessel; (oo) erthe wal, a wall or ridge made of earth; (pp) ertheward, q.v.; (qq) erth(e ware, pl., dwellers on earth, mankind; (rr) erth-wastmas, -an, pl., produce of the earth, crops; (ss) til erthe wei, earthward; (tt) erthe winde, prob. the lesser bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) [see Schöffler Beitr.zur Me.Medizinlit. 38]; (uu) erthe worchinge, cultivation; (vv) erthe worm, earthworm.