earthful en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ɜːθfl̩/ (US)
Etymology
From earth + -ful.
Meanings
-
As much as the earth can or does hold or sustain.
Then, as we reach higher than the bird to the world of quadrupeds, think what an earthful of life and feeling, of exaltation, of joy, there is in every forest, in every stream, in every tree, over every plain and every land of the globe.
1895, Minot Judson Savage, Unity Pulpit, Boston, page 5:It's not just an earthful of people, it's going to be an earthful of dull people with dull vistas.
1980, David Ross Brower, Susan R. Schrepfer, David R. Brower, Environmental Activist, Publicist, and Prophet, page 320:With four earthfuls of people (by pre-mechanized standards), and with reasons to doubt the stability of an ecosystem modified by the drawdown method, the post-exuberant world found itself facing serious trouble.
1982, William R. Catton, Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change, page 108:And you are my summer moon's earthful of paradise
2012, Munayem Mayenin, The Arisen of the Day, page 36:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| earthfuls | Number=Plur | lexicographic |