# Gaia
## English
### Etymology

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 (born 1919) 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.

### Pronunciation

* (Gaia hypothesis) (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA: /ˈɡaɪə/
* (Goddess of the Earth) (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA: /ˈɡeɪə/, /ˈɡaɪə/
* Audio (General American):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪə, -eɪə

### Proper noun

Gaia
* (ecology) The ecosystem of the Earth regarded as a self-regulating superorganism. [from 20th c.]
** 1979, J[ames] E[phraim] Lovelock, “Introductory”, in Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, pages 1 and 11:[page 1] As I write, two Viking spacecraft are circling our fellow planet Mars, awaiting landfall instructions from the Earth. Their mission is to search for life, or evidence of life, now or long ago. This book is also about a search for life, and the quest for Gaia is an attempt to find the largest living creature on Earth. […] [I]f Gaia does exist, then we may find ourselves and all other living things to be parts and partners of a vast being who in her entirety has the power to maintain our planet as a fit and comfortable habitat for life. […] [page 11] We have since defined Gaia as a complex entity involving the Earth's biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and soil; the totality constituting a feedback or cybernetic system which seeks an optimal physical and chemical environment for life on this planet.
** 1980 July, James E. Lovelock, “Living Planet Earth”, in Omni‎, volume 2, number 10, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 124, column 3:If we are all—from the lowliest microorganism to the largest whale—a part of Gaia, then we are all potentially important to its well-being. Therefore, the ecologists who deplore the elimination of a species are not merely appealing to our sentiment. They are warning us, often without knowing it, about a blind and dangerous tinkering with the mechanism of the world. It is not enough just to regret the extinction of a whale, or even of the smallpox virus. When we delete one of these from Gaia's catalog, we may have destroyed part of ourselves. We are also a part of Gaia.
** 1983, David Hoffmann, “The Holistic Approach”, in The Holistic Herbal: A Herbal Celebrating the Wholeness of Life, Findhorn, Moray, Scotland: Findhorn, →ISBN; Holistic Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies, 3rd edition, London: Thorsons, HarperCollins Publishers, 2002, →ISBN, page 13:In fact Planet Earth can be seen as an active participant in the creation of its own story, a living being now given the name Gaia, a name from Greek mythology for the goddess of earth. […] The very ability to perceive of the earth as living, as Gaia, is an indication of the expansion of consciousness that humanity as a whole is experiencing.
** 1988, Lynn Margulis, “Jim Lovelock’s Gaia”, in Peter Bunyard, Edward Goldsmith, editors, Gaia, the Thesis, the Mechanisms and the Implications: Proceedings of the First Annual Camelford Conference on the Implications of the Gaia Hypothesis, held on 21–24th October 1987 in Cornwall, Camelford, Cornwall: Wadebridge Ecological Centre, →ISBN, page 50:Having recognised the Gaian phenomenon I would like to explain where I think Gaia comes from and ask for how long this Gaia phenomenon has persisted on the surface of the Earth. And then I would like to raise some of the objections to the Gaia hypothesis. To my knowledge the Gaia hypothesis has never been discussed in polite scientific society by sympathetic scientists; this is an all time first.
** 2003 September 13, Nicholas Lezard, “The importance of being wrong”, in The Guardian‎, retrieved 2021-05-19:Meanwhile, mankind is getting on with the business of turning the Earth barren; sooner or later, but more likely sooner, Gaia will shrug us off and the Earth will carry on as if we had never been.
** 2007 November 1, Jeff Goodell, “James Lovelock, the Prophet”, in Rolling Stone‎:At first, Lovelock didn’t view global warming as an urgent threat to the planet. “Gaia is a tough bitch,” he often said […] But a few years ago […] Lovelock became convinced that Gaia’s autopilot system […] is seriously out of whack, derailed by pollution and deforestation.
* (Greek mythology) A Greek goddess, the personification of the earth, and one of the primordial deities from whom all the others descend.
** 1858, W[illiam] E[wart] Gladstone, “Ilios. The Trojans Compared and Contrasted with the Greeks.”, in Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age. [...] In Three Volumes, volume III, Oxford: At the University Press, →OCLC, page 153:While investigating the Greek mythology, we have found reason to suppose that Juno, Ceres, and Gaia are but three different forms of the same original tradition of a divine feminine: of whom Ceres is the Pelasgian copy, Juno the vivid and powerful Hellenic development, and Gaia the original skeleton, retaining nothing of the old character, but having acquired the function of gaol-keeper for perjurors when sent to the other world.

#### Derived terms

* Gaia-Enceladus
* Gaia hypothesis
* Gaian
* Gaianism
* Gaia Sausage

#### Translations
### References

* ↑ “Gaia”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

### Further reading

* Gaia hypothesis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Gaia philosophy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Anagrams

* aiga

## Finnish
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek Γαῖᾰ (Gaîă).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡɑi̯.ɑ/, [ˈɡɑ̝i̯.ɑ̝]
* IPA: /ˈɡɑi̯jɑ/, [ˈɡɑ̝i̯j(ː)ɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ɑiɑ
* Hyphenation: Gaia

### Proper noun

Gaia
* Gaia

#### Declension

Possessive forms of Gaia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Gaiani
accusative
nom.
Gaiani
gen.
Gaiani
genitive
Gaiani
partitive
Gaiaani
inessive
Gaiassani
elative
Gaiastani
illative
Gaiaani
adessive
Gaiallani
ablative
Gaialtani
allative
Gaialleni
essive
Gaianani
translative
Gaiakseni
abessive
Gaiattani
instructive
comitative
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Gaiasi
accusative
nom.
Gaiasi
gen.
Gaiasi
genitive
Gaiasi
partitive
Gaiaasi
inessive
Gaiassasi
elative
Gaiastasi
illative
Gaiaasi
adessive
Gaiallasi
ablative
Gaialtasi
allative
Gaiallesi
essive
Gaianasi
translative
Gaiaksesi
abessive
Gaiattasi
instructive
comitative
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Gaiamme
accusative
nom.
Gaiamme
gen.
Gaiamme
genitive
Gaiamme
partitive
Gaiaamme
inessive
Gaiassamme
elative
Gaiastamme
illative
Gaiaamme
adessive
Gaiallamme
ablative
Gaialtamme
allative
Gaiallemme
essive
Gaianamme
translative
Gaiaksemme
abessive
Gaiattamme
instructive
comitative
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Gaianne
accusative
nom.
Gaianne
gen.
Gaianne
genitive
Gaianne
partitive
Gaiaanne
inessive
Gaiassanne
elative
Gaiastanne
illative
Gaiaanne
adessive
Gaiallanne
ablative
Gaialtanne
allative
Gaiallenne
essive
Gaiananne
translative
Gaiaksenne
abessive
Gaiattanne
instructive
comitative
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Gaiansa
accusative
nom.
Gaiansa
gen.
Gaiansa
genitive
Gaiansa
partitive
Gaiaansa
inessive
Gaiassaan Gaiassansa
elative
Gaiastaan Gaiastansa
illative
Gaiaansa
adessive
Gaiallaan Gaiallansa
ablative
Gaialtaan Gaialtansa
allative
Gaialleen Gaiallensa
essive
Gaianaan Gaianansa
translative
Gaiakseen Gaiaksensa
abessive
Gaiattaan Gaiattansa
instructive
comitative

## Latin
### Alternative forms

* (archaic or hypercorrect) Cāia
* Gāja

### Etymology

Feminine form of Gāius.

### Pronunciation

* (original)
** (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈɡaː.i.a/, [ˈɡäːiä]
** (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈɡa.i.a/, [ˈɡäːiä]
* (later)
** (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈɡaː.i̯a/, [ˈɡäːi̯ä]
** (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈɡa.ja/, [ˈɡäːjä]
* (hypercorrect)
** (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈkaː.i.a/, [ˈkäːiä]
** (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈka.i.a/, [ˈkäːiä]
* (hypercorrect)
** (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈkaː.i̯a/, [ˈkäːi̯ä]
** (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈka.ja/, [ˈkäːjä]

### Proper noun

Gāia f (genitive Gāiae, masculine Gāius); first declension
* A feminine praenomen.

#### Declension

First-declension noun.

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈɡaj.ɐ/ [ˈɡaɪ̯.ɐ]
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈɡaj.ɐ/ [ˈɡaɪ̯.ɐ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈɡaj.a/ [ˈɡaɪ̯.a]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈɡaj.ɐ/
* Rhymes: -ajɐ
* Hyphenation: Gai‧a

### Proper noun

Gaia f
* Gaia
* Synonym of Vila Nova de Gaia

#### Usage notes

Gaia is never indicated by an article; see usage notes for Portugal.

## Turkish
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek Γαῖᾰ (Gaîă).

### Proper noun

Gaia
* (Greek mythology) Gaia