Copernicus

American  

[koh-pur-ni-kuhs, kuh-] / koʊˈpɜr nɪ kəs, kə- /

noun

1. Nicolaus Mikolaj Kopernik, 1473–1543, Polish astronomer who promulgated the now accepted theory that the earth and the other planets move around the sun the Copernican System.

2. a crater in the second quadrant of the face of the moon, having an extensive ray system: about 56 miles (90 kilometers) in diameter from crest to crest with walls rising about 12,000 feet (3,650 meters) from its floor; having several central mountains the highest being about 2,400 feet (730 meters).

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Copernicus ¹ British  

/ kəˈpɜːnɪkəs /

noun

1. Nicolaus (ˌnɪkəˈleɪəs). Polish name Mikolaj Kopernik. 1473–1543, Polish astronomer, whose theory of the solar system (the Copernican system ) was published in 1543

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Copernicus ² British  

/ kəˈpɜːnɪkəs /

noun

1. a conspicuous crater on the moon, over 4000 metres deep and 90 kilometres in diameter, from which a system of rays emanates

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Copernicus Scientific  

/ kō-pûr′nə-kəs /

1. Polish astronomer whose theory that Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun provided the foundation for modern astronomy. His model displaced earlier theories that positioned Earth at the center of the solar system with all objects orbiting it.

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Other Word Forms

• Copernican adjective

Etymology

Origin of Copernicus

First recorded in 1580–90; Latinized form of Kopernik, Koppernik, Koppernigk

Example Sentences

The past 11 years have been the 11 warmest on record, according to Copernicus.

From Los Angeles Times

"If we go twenty years into the future and we look back at this period of the mid-2020s, we will see these years as relatively cool," said Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus.

From BBC

Central Asia, the Sahel region and northern Europe experienced their hottest year on record in 2025, according to AFP analysis based on data from the European Copernicus programme.

From Barron's

The world is on course for its second or third warmest year ever recorded, according to the European Copernicus climate service.

From BBC

The rocket was carrying a Sentinel-1D satellite manufactured by Thales Alenia Space as part of the Copernicus programme, the Earth observation component of the European Union space programme.

From Barron's