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

See Examples For:

Copernicus

In 2024, the Amazon rainforest experienced its worst forest fires in over two decades, which the Copernicus Climate Change Service put down to "climate extremes and human activity".

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Last month, surface air temperatures in Western Europe ran around 3 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

It was the second hottest June on record for the world and for Europe as a whole, Copernicus said, as human-induced climate change continues to push temperatures higher.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

The world's oceans experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service said on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

Yet, once those ideas were challenged, progress was breathtakingly rapid—after fifteen centuries of stagnation, there have been fewer than another five centuries from the time of Copernicus to the present day.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin