earthen

earthen
earthen, earthly, earthy
Earthen is used only in the physical sense ‘made of earth’ (either soil, or clay as in earthenware):

• No city or government wants to build earthen structures or allow them to be built —New Scientist, 1971.

Earthly has two meanings, (1) denoting the earth or human life on earth, as distinct from heavenly

• (They set themselves the difficult task of disentangling this cosmic dust from the earthly sort —Economist, 1991)

and (2) as an intensifying word in informal use in negative contexts

• (A trainee is no earthly use in here at all —M. Frayn, 1969).

Earthy means (1) ‘of or like the earth or soil’, (2) figuratively, ‘somewhat coarse or crude’:

• My friend Lindsey said I was consumed with earthy desires and unable to reach the higher planes —S. Rowbotham, 1985

• In one direction only a little earthy bank separates me from the edge of the ocean —R. Sale et al., 1991

• Ian McEwan is our only real native rival in telling the earthy, inside story of contemporary life —Express, 2007.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Earthen — Earth en ([ e]rth n), a. Made of earth; made of burnt or baked clay, or other like substances; as, an earthen vessel or pipe. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • earthen — (adj.) early 13c., made of earth; see EARTH (Cf. earth) + EN (Cf. en) (2). Not attested in O.E. (where eorðen meant of or in the earth ). Cognate of O.H.G. irdin, Goth. airþeins. Meaning made of clay is attested from late 14c …   Etymology dictionary

  • earthen — ► ADJECTIVE 1) made of compressed earth. 2) (of a pot) made of baked or fired clay …   English terms dictionary

  • earthen — [ʉrth′ən] adj. 1. made of earth or of baked clay 2. earthly …   English World dictionary

  • earthen — [[t]ɜ͟ː(r)ð(ə)n[/t]] 1) ADJ: ADJ n Earthen containers and objects are made of clay that is baked so that it becomes hard. ...an earthen jar. Syn: earthenware 2) ADJ: ADJ n An earthen floor, bank, or mound is made of hard earth. Despite the mud… …   English dictionary

  • earthen — adjective /ˈərθən/ a) made of earth or mud A hundred earthen dwellings stood on the margin of the lake... b) made of clay (especially said of pottery) ... the Godfathers and Godmothers follow into the midst of the Church, where there is a small… …   Wiktionary

  • earthen — earth|en [ˈə:θən, ðən US ˈə:r ] adj [only before noun] 1.) an earthen floor or wall is made of soil 2.) an earthen pot etc is made of baked clay …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • earthen — earth|en [ ɜrθən ] adjective 1. ) made of clay: an earthen pot 2. ) made of dirt: an earthen floor …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • earthen — adjective (only before noun) 1 an earthen pot, vase etc is made of baked clay 2 an earthen floor or wall is made of earth …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • earthen — UK [ˈɜː(r)θ(ə)n] / US [ˈɜrθən] adjective 1) made of earth an earthen floor 2) made of clay an earthen pot …   English dictionary

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