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. 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 ² 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 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

This was the hottest June-to-July period on record in Western Europe, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

The European Union said it had activated its Copernicus satellite surveillance system to help recovery efforts and was ready to provide more help, while the World Health Organisation said it had dispatched emergency medical supplies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

And the average sea-surface temperature just hit a record 70 degrees, according to Europe’s Earth observation agency Copernicus, as the burning of fossil fuels continues to heat the planet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission has documented a major change at Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland, where a 76 sq km section of the glacier's floating ice tongue broke away on August 4, 2026.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

The question that particularly intrigued him at that time was why there should be six, and only six, planets in the Universe, accepting that Copernicus was right and the Earth itself is a planet.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin