cosmogony

[ koz-mog-uh-nee ]

See synonyms for: cosmogonal cosmogonic on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural cos·mog·o·nies.

a theory or story of the origin and development of the universe, the solar system, or the earth-moon system.

Origin of cosmogony

First recorded in 1860–65, cosmogony is from the Greek word kosmogonía creation of the world. See cosmo-, -gony

Other words from cosmogony

cos·mog·o·nal, cos·mo·gon·ic [koz-muh-gon-ik], /ˌkɒz məˈgɒn ɪk/, cos·mo·gon·i·cal, adjective
cos·mog·o·nist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cosmogony in a sentence

With such shifting, grotesque and inadequate fables, the cosmogonic myths of the world are necessarily bewildered and perplexed.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1 | Andrew Lang
Perhaps the cosmogonic myths of the less cultivated races have now been stated in sufficient number.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1 | Andrew Lang
Both strata of belief are represented in the surviving cosmogonic myths of the Aztecs.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1 | Andrew Lang
The authorities for Greek cosmogonic myth are extremely various in date, character and value.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1 | Andrew Lang
To Hesiod, then, we must turn for what is the earliest complete literary form of the Greek cosmogonic myth.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1 | Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for cosmogony

cosmogony

/ (kɒzˈmɒɡənɪ) /

nounplural -nies

the study of the origin and development of the universe or of a particular system in the universe, such as the solar system
a theory of such an origin or evolution

Origin of cosmogony

C17: from Greek kosmogonia, from cosmo- + gonos creation

Derived forms of cosmogony

cosmogonal, adjective
cosmogonic (ˌkɒzməˈɡɒnɪk) or cosmogonical, adjective
cosmogonist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cosmogony

cosmogony

[ kŏz-mŏg′ə-nē ]

The branch of cosmology that studies the origin of the universe and the larger objects found within it, such as the solar system.

Browse