earths

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of earth.

   The terriers flushed the fox from one of its earths at dawn.

   Early chemists isolated several rare earths from the same mineral deposit.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable senses of earth. A hunted fox may have several earths, a British electrician checks the earths on a piece of equipment (Americans say grounds), and lands or regions can be counted as earths too. Soil and rock-based material are uncountable, so they rarely take the plural: you dig in earth, not in earths.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of earth.

   The electrician earths every metal appliance before signing off the job.

   She earths the young leeks little by little to keep the stems pale.

   Note

   It shares its spelling with the noun plural, so grammar decides. In "the fox earths" it is a verb, and in "the fox's earths" it is a noun. Most uses take an object: a circuit, a body being buried, or prey chased to its den. The burrowing sense stands alone, so an animal simply earths. The electrical use is British, where American English says ground.

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