<p>There is no close connection. <em>Planet</em> is from Greek <em>asteres planetai</em> meaning wandering stars (via Latin and French). <em>Plane</em> is from Latin <em>planus</em> meaning "level or flat".</p>

<p>It is possible that both words are derived from the proto-indo-European root *pele-, (flat) However the evidence linking *pele to <em>planetai</em> is weak. Thus there is no more connection between planet and plane than between planet and field (field is also derived from *pele, via the sound change in German from p to f) </p>

<p><a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=planet" rel="noreferrer">http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=planet</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=plane" rel="noreferrer">http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=plane</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=plane" rel="noreferrer">http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=*pele-%20(2)&amp;allowed_in_frame=0</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-04T23:54:23.047Z
Note that _asteres planetai_ is plural, so it actually means ‘wandering star**s**’. The singular is _aster planetes_.
chirlu
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-08T22:48:32.333Z
Thanks for the answer. Such a shame though they're not connected. That would have been amazing.
Ansjovis86
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-04T21:23:26.650Z
2017-08-05T05:38:21.317Z
2017-08-05T05:38:21.317Z
James K
<p>This morning I was in the shower and it struck me that the word planet might be related to the fact that the PLANEts orbit the sun in a PLANE. Did this naming somewhat happen by accident or was it consciously chosen? If it is the former then I'm simply mindblown by the fact that I didn't see this relation before.</p>

<p>I quickly looked up the etymology on the word planet, which comes from Greek and means wanderer/wandering. Nonetheless, could there still be a relation, both words might stem from the same origin...?
Thanks in advance!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-04T09:19:51.880Z
This question seems better suited for the [english language](https://english.stackexchange.com/) site, since your question is about the english language. In german, for example, the two words are "Planet" and "Ebene". Finnish: "Planeetta", "Taso". However, most roman languages do have similar words.
Alex
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-07T19:26:18.003Z
They used to think the PLANEt was flat so.. perhaps that was why planet became the word for worlds.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-07T20:37:03.180Z
That sounds feasible. In a lot of the ancient cosmology systems the cosmos is divided into various planes of existence, with each plane being associated with a specific planet. Thus in traditional Hindu cosmology the Sanskrit word *loka* can refer to one of these planes as a whole or to the associated planet. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loka#Hindu_tradition
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-07T20:49:11.117Z
No, they didn't think the Earth was flat. Also they didn't think the Earth was a "planet".  Planets were the "stars" that slowly moved relative to the other stars. The Earth was obvioiusly not a "star". The word has little to Nothing to do with flatness.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-07T22:34:53.560Z
@JamesK Certainly, the Alexandrian Greeks were pretty confident that the Earth is a sphere, and Eratosthenes gave a good estimate of its radius. But I'm talking about far more ancient peoples, the speakers of proto-Indo-European. It's hard to know the details of their cosmology, but we have some linguistic hints. Sanskrit is pretty close to PIE, and it's reasonable to assume that the early Hindu beliefs developed from their ancestors' beliefs.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-08T00:37:08.650Z
The whole thing wasn't really important until the late medieval time. Then, the possibility to find a new way to India, a very practical goal, made it important and not a phylosophical development (because this was phylosophy at the time). The difference between the commoners understand (and interest) in such "higher sciences" was roughly so essential as today. Probably only a very few people (compared to the whole population) have, for example, and idea, what the WMAP satellite did and what is its result.
peterh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-08T00:47:30.793Z
No, this is wrong. There is already a correct answer provided to this question.
Florin Andrei
<planet><orbit><naming>
Is there a relation with the noun planet and to be in a plane?
Ansjovis86
# Is there a relation with the noun planet and to be in a plane?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-04)

This morning I was in the shower and it struck me that the word planet might be related to the fact that the PLANEts orbit the sun in a PLANE. Did this naming somewhat happen by accident or was it consciously chosen? If it is the former then I'm simply mindblown by the fact that I didn't see this relation before.

I quickly looked up the etymology on the word planet, which comes from Greek and means wanderer/wandering. Nonetheless, could there still be a relation, both words might stem from the same origin...?
Thanks in advance!

**Tags:** planet, orbit, naming
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This question seems better suited for the [english language](https://english.stackexchange.com/) site, since your question is about the english language. In german, for example, the two words are "Planet" and "Ebene". Finnish: "Planeetta", "Taso". However, most roman languages do have similar words.  
> **username_2**: They used to think the PLANEt was flat so.. perhaps that was why planet became the word for worlds.  
> **username_3**: That sounds feasible. In a lot of the ancient cosmology systems the cosmos is divided into various planes of existence, with each plane being associated with a specific planet. Thus in traditional Hindu cosmology the Sanskrit word *loka* can refer to one of these planes as a whole or to the associated planet. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loka#Hindu_tradition  
> **username_4**: No, they didn't think the Earth was flat. Also they didn't think the Earth was a "planet".  Planets were the "stars" that slowly moved relative to the other stars. The Earth was obvioiusly not a "star". The word has little to Nothing to do with flatness.  
> **username_3**: @JamesK Certainly, the Alexandrian Greeks were pretty confident that the Earth is a sphere, and Eratosthenes gave a good estimate of its radius. But I'm talking about far more ancient peoples, the speakers of proto-Indo-European. It's hard to know the details of their cosmology, but we have some linguistic hints. Sanskrit is pretty close to PIE, and it's reasonable to assume that the early Hindu beliefs developed from their ancestors' beliefs.  
> **username_5**: The whole thing wasn't really important until the late medieval time. Then, the possibility to find a new way to India, a very practical goal, made it important and not a phylosophical development (because this was phylosophy at the time). The difference between the commoners understand (and interest) in such "higher sciences" was roughly so essential as today. Probably only a very few people (compared to the whole population) have, for example, and idea, what the WMAP satellite did and what is its result.  
> **username_6**: No, this is wrong. There is already a correct answer provided to this question.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-08-04. Score: 17 | Accepted answer

There is no close connection. *Planet* is from Greek *asteres planetai* meaning wandering stars (via Latin and French). *Plane* is from Latin *planus* meaning "level or flat".

It is possible that both words are derived from the proto-indo-European root \*pele-, (flat) However the evidence linking \*pele to *planetai* is weak. Thus there is no more connection between planet and plane than between planet and field (field is also derived from \*pele, via the sound change in German from p to f)

<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=planet>

<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=plane>

[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=\*pele-%20(2)&allowed\_in\_frame=0](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=plane)

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Note that _asteres planetai_ is plural, so it actually means ‘wandering star**s**’. The singular is _aster planetes_.  
> **username_0**: Thanks for the answer. Such a shame though they're not connected. That would have been amazing.  

---

