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I knew I was alone in a way that no earthling has ever been before.
Michael Collins

Meaning of "earthling" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD EARTHLING

From earth + ling1.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF EARTHLING

earthling  [ˈɜːθlɪŋ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF EARTHLING

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Earthling is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES EARTHLING MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Earthling

Earthling, Terran, and Gaian are terms commonly used in science fiction to identify humans as opposed to extraterrestrials. The literary effect aimed for is a distancing effect, inviting the readers to contemplate their own species as it might be seen from an external point of view. Especially in 1950s science fiction, use of the terms is a conscious reversal of common assumptions of anthropocentrism or human exceptionalism, and may be an example of a demonym. Historically the term referred to a mortal inhabitant of the Earth as opposed to spiritual or divine entities. The derivation from the noun earth by means of the suffix -ling is already seen in Old English eyrþling, in the meaning "ploughman". The sense of "inhabitant of earth" is first attested in 1593. Its use in science fiction dates to 1949, in Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein. In Early Modern English, the word was used with the intention of contrasting "earth" with "heaven", and so presenting man as an inhabitant of the sublunary sphere, as opposed to heavenly creatures or deities.

Definition of earthling in the English dictionary

The definition of earthling in the dictionary is an inhabitant of the earth; human being.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH EARTHLING


bowling
ˈbəʊlɪŋ
calling
ˈkɔːlɪŋ
ceiling
ˈsiːlɪŋ
cooling
ˈkuːlɪŋ
cycling
ˈsaɪk əlɪŋ
dealing
ˈdiːlɪŋ
falling
ˈfɔːlɪŋ
feeling
ˈfiːlɪŋ
filing
ˈfaɪlɪŋ
filling
ˈfɪlɪŋ
handling
ˈhændlɪŋ
healing
ˈhiːlɪŋ
killing
ˈkɪlɪŋ
mailing
ˈmeɪlɪŋ
monthling
ˈmʌnθlɪŋ
rolling
ˈrəʊlɪŋ
selling
ˈsɛlɪŋ
sterling
ˈstɜːlɪŋ
telling
ˈtɛlɪŋ
willing
ˈwɪlɪŋ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE EARTHLING

earthflax
earthier
earthiest
earthily
earthiness
earthlier
earthliest
earthlight
earthlike
earthliness
earthly
earthly paradise
earthman
earthmen
earthmoving
earthmoving equipment
earthnut
earthpea
earthquake
earthquake intensity

WORDS THAT END LIKE EARTHLING

billing
controlling
darling
direct selling
enabling
failing
fleshling
hatchling
hot-selling
installing
paling
recycling
scrolling
smiling
spelling
starling
styling
travelling
vetchling
wrestling

Synonyms and antonyms of earthling in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «earthling» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF EARTHLING

Find out the translation of earthling to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of earthling from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «earthling» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

人世间
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

terrícola
570 millions of speakers

English

earthling
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

earthling
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

أبناء الأرض
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

землянин
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

terráqueo
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

earthling
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

terrien
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Earthling
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

earthling
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

地球人
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

지구인
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Earthling
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

earthling
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

மண்ணுக்குரிய
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

पृथ्वीवरील
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

dünyalı
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

terrestre
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Ziemianin
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

землянин
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

muritor de rând
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

earthling
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

aardse
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

earthling
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

jordboer
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of earthling

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «EARTHLING»

The term «earthling» is regularly used and occupies the 97.045 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
55
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «earthling» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of earthling
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «earthling».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «EARTHLING» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «earthling» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «earthling» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about earthling

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «EARTHLING»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word earthling.
1
Michael Collins
I knew I was alone in a way that no earthling has ever been before.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «EARTHLING»

Discover the use of earthling in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to earthling and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Earthling
Orf is an intelligent drilling machine, designed to probe to the very center of the Earth.
Tony Daniel, 1997
2
Earthling!
When Bud gets on the wrong school bus he finds himself at Cosmos Academy on another planet, where Earthlings are considered extremely dangerous--can he conceal his identity as a native of Earth and still manage to find his way home?
Tim Rummel, 2012
3
My Favorite Earthling (Mills & Boon M&B)
Even a goddess can have a bad day.
Susan Grant, 2014
4
Earthling
Over the last several years, international artist Warren Neidich has been combining photography and performance art.
Warren Neidich, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Barry Schwabsky, 2005
5
Earthling
Earthling both celebrates and critiques this brave new world and its elusive, Hollywood-tinged reality, defying aesthetic categorization as it stokes the fire of cultural discourse and provides a guiding light for our journey through the ...
Steve Healey, 2004
6
The Ebonite and Her Earthling: Book 2
For the Kota Warriors, everything has changed.
Sunshine Somerville, 2014
7
I married an earthling: a novel
Part Jacqueline Susann romantasy, part cheesy Lost In Space episode, this side-splitting sci-fi novel artfully navigates the treacherous space between camp excess & smart cultural observation.
Alvin Orloff, 2000
8
Earthling
It was supposed to be fourteen days of peace, tranquility, beautiful high mountain lakes and, according to his friend Dick, some awesome fishing.
K. L. Thompson, 2013
9
Venecia's Earthling
A romance between Bill and his beautiful alien hostess is deftly woven throughout the book to make for an enjoyable read.
James L. Barbour, 2013
10
Earthling Guide To Deep Space
What would it be like to be a space-time traveler? This unique "travel guide" includes more than 100 full-color Hubble photos and drawings for an unforgettable voyage of learning and fun.
Carolyn Sumners, Kerry Handron, 1998

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «EARTHLING»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term earthling is used in the context of the following news items.
1
How long would it take to drive to Pluto?
Given the relatively small size of our planet in terms of cosmic things, our earthling brains can have a hard time grasping really long distances. «Treehugger, Jul 15»
2
The New Horizons Pluto Probe Detected an Anomaly, Slips Into …
... “detected an anomaly,” and it went into safe mode, resorting to using its backup computer to report back to its concerned earthling watchers. «The Mary Sue, Jul 15»
3
The Soulful Journey
Paranoid Earthling was awesome as always. The sound balance was a bit off on the inside for us, we couldn't hear much clearly. But it is not ... «Sunday Leader, Jul 15»
4
International MUSIC DAY 2015
Famous bands including NAADRO, Paranoid Earthling as well as Ravi Bandhu performed on stage. In the evening, the French band Sonith, ... «The Sunday Times Sri Lanka, Jul 15»
5
No YOLO & 11 Other Life Lessons from THE TWILIGHT ZONE
The Martians take no time to get to know Conrad, because they've already judged him as merely an Earthling. Man judges other men (and ... «moviepilot.com, Jul 15»
6
David Bowie: A look at the man and the ACMI exhibition
feat-david-bowie-earthling. Above: Original photography for the Earthling album cover, 1997. Photograph by Frank W Ockenfels 3, (C) Frank W ... «Gay News Network, Jul 15»
7
Our pick of what's new on DVD and Blu-ray July 3-9
The plot, in which a young woman is liberated from her dead-end Earthling existence to become queen of the cosmos (kind of), may be Flash ... «Stuff.co.nz, Jul 15»
8
Greek And Puerto Rican Bankruptcies: Open Borders in Action
Tomorrow: “Sure, lending 100 quadrillion credits to Alpha Centauri may seem worrisome to Earthling bumpkins who have never been beyond ... «VDARE.com, Jul 15»
9
Michael Ian Black, Missi Pyle Join Indie Comedy 'Slash'
Directed by Clay Liford (Earthling), who also wrote the screenplay, the coming of age comedy focuses on a teenage erotic fan fic author; the title ... «Deadline, Jun 15»
10
Sierra Leone News: Energy Minister commissions 33KV earthing
So, with the 33KV giant Earthling Transformer that circulates current accurately to give the expected output of electricity supply to the people ... «Awoko, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Earthling [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/earthling>. Apr 2024 ».
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