the word planet comes from an ancient greek word that literally means what

The word “planet” comes from an ancient Greek word that literally means “wanderer.”

Quick Scoop

In ancient Greek, the term was πλανήτης (planētēs), which comes from a root meaning “to wander” or “to roam.” The Greeks noticed that some “stars” moved against the fixed background of the night sky, so they called them “wandering stars” (ἀστέρες πλανῆται), and from that idea we get our modern word “planet.”