Gaia

noun

ˈgī-ə 

: the hypothesis that the living and nonliving components of earth function as a single system in such a way that the living component regulates and maintains conditions (such as the temperature of the ocean or composition of the atmosphere) so as to be suitable for life

also : this system regarded as a single organism

Word History

Etymology

after Greek Gaîa, a primordial earth goddess in Greek myth, literally, "earth" — more at geo-

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above