Middle Earth
Synonym for Midgard, the world of traditional Germanic cosmology, conceived as a realm…Synonym for Midgard, the world of traditional Germanic cosmology, conceived as a realm between heaven (Asgard) and hell (Niflheim).
Meaning
2 senses(Norse)Synonym for Midgard, the world of traditional Germanic cosmology, conceived as a realm between heaven (Asgard) and hell (Niflheim).
(archaic)The Earth.
Origin
From Middle English myddelerthe, middelerthe; an alteration of earlier middelerd; in turnFrom Middle English myddelerthe, middelerthe; an alteration of earlier middelerd; in turn an alteration of earlier middenerd; from Old English middaneard (“Middle Earth”), variant of middanġeard (“Earth, the world”, literally “the middle yard, enclosure, or realm”) mis- or reinterpreting its meaning, from Proto-Germanic *midjagardaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“middle”) and *gʰórdʰos (“enclosure”). Cognate with Norwegian & English Midgard (q.v.) and Danish, Norwegian, & Swedish Midgård.
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