Gaia

The story

1. Ancient Greek · borrowed fromΓαῖᾰ“Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess”
2. English todayGaia

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Γαῖᾰ (Gaîă, “Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess”), from γαῖᾰ (gaîă, “the Earth”), probably related to γῆ (gê, “earth, land; country”). Sense 1 was coined by the British scientist, environmentalist, and futurist James Lovelock (1919–2022) in his book Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (1979), at the suggestion of the British novelist, playwright, and poet William Golding (1911–1993): see the quotation.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 20th c. The ecosystem of the Earth regarded as a self-regulating superorganism.