cosmology

[ koz-mol-uh-jee ]

noun

1. the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin and general structure of the universe, with its parts, elements, and laws, and especially with such of its characteristics as space, time, causality, and freedom.
2. the branch of astronomy that deals with the general structure and evolution of the universe.

cosmology

/ kɒzˈmɒlədʒɪ; ˌkɒzməˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the philosophical study of the origin and nature of the universe
2. the branch of astronomy concerned with the evolution and structure of the universe
3. a particular account of the origin or structure of the universe

   Ptolemaic cosmology

cosmology

/ kŏz-mŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe.
2. A specific theory or model of the origin and evolution of the universe.

cosmology

¹

1. A system of beliefs that seeks to describe or explain the origin and structure of the universe. A cosmology attempts to establish an ordered, harmonious framework that integrates time, space, the planets , stars , and other celestial phenomena. In so-called primitive societies, cosmologies help explain the relationship of human beings to the rest of the universe and are therefore closely tied to religious beliefs and practices. In modern industrial societies, cosmologies seek to explain the universe through astronomy and mathematics . Metaphysics also plays a part in the formation of cosmologies. ( See also under “Physical Sciences and Mathematics.” )

cosmology

²

1. The branch of science dealing with the large-scale structure, origins, and development of the universe. ( See astronomy and Big Bang theory .)

Derived Forms

• cosmological, adjective
• ˌcosmoˈlogically, adverb
• cosˈmologist, noun

Other Words From

• cos·molo·ger cos·molo·gist noun
• cos·mo·log·i·cal [koz-m, uh, -, loj, -i-k, uh, l], cosmo·logic adjective
• cosmo·logi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosmology¹

From the New Latin word cosmologia, dating back to 1650–60. See cosmo-, -logy

Example Sentences

A few years later I got invited by Stephen Hawking to a now legendary conference, the 1982 Nuffield conference in Cambridge, where early-universe cosmology was the main subject.

From Quanta Magazine

The biggest puzzle in cosmology right now has to do with the Hubble constant, a measure of the speed at which the universe is expanding.

From Quanta Magazine

Instead, he turned his attention to cosmology and astrophysics and the physics entailed in these disciplines.

From Washington Post

Recent advances in cosmology allow us to state, with a fair amount of certainty, that 95 percent of the universe is missing.

From Quanta Magazine

You see that in how people argue about history and in the very emotional disputes people end up having about the prehistoric, or about cosmology.

From Nautilus

Whether those facts match the cosmology of an Iron Age text is not their problem.

From The Daily Beast

Yet Carson is undoubtedly a powerful new force in the GOP cosmology.

From The Daily Beast

Last week, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev felt the need to reject the Mayan cosmology.

From The Daily Beast

His divine cosmology always has a distinctly left-wing practicality.

From The Daily Beast

Since philosophy and physics intertwine at the far reaches of cosmology, this makes him a much more satisfying guide than most.

From The Daily Beast

The elements in mediaeval cosmology were assigned to a definite region of the universe.

From Project Gutenberg

His ideas of cosmology are equally vague; thus, stars are held to be glowing stones.

From Project Gutenberg

The word "Purana" means "old," and in ancient Sanscrit writings it has the same meaning as our "cosmology."

From Project Gutenberg

Moreover, biology and abiology are connected branches of cosmology, or the science of the world.

From Project Gutenberg

It is even permissible to say that he took physics or cosmology too lightly.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cosmogenesis
• cosmogony
• creation