heliocentric
Americanadjective
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measured or considered as being seen from the center of the sun.
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having or representing the sun as a center.
the heliocentric concept of the universe.
adjective
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having the sun at its centre
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measured from or in relation to the centre of the sun
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Relating to or measured from the center of the Sun.
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Relating to a model of the solar system or universe having the Sun as the center.
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Compare geocentric See Note at Copernicus
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of heliocentric
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How does heliocentric compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Anything that's heliocentric has a sun at its center. Since our solar system is heliocentric, the Earth revolves around the sun (and not the other way around, as people in the Middle Ages believed). Heliocentric has been used since the late 17th century — though Copernicus theorized that the planets revolve around the sun, rather than around the earth, in the early 1500s. Religious scholars objected strongly to this idea, and there was general resistance for over 100 years, until the science of a heliocentric model finally won out. The Greek roots of heliocentric are hēlios, "sun," and kentrikos, "pertaining to a center."
Vocabulary lists containing heliocentric
Over The Moon: Planetary Vocabulary
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Oh, My Stars! A Solstice Sampler
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February Vocabulary Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For example, the rejection of the heliocentric model of the solar system with one that accurately places the sun at its center.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2025
“Sometimes, these temporary captures do not complete one revolution before dropping out of orbit and returning to their regular heliocentric trajectories,” he and his colleague, Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024
Such a heliocentric shift would have greatly limited the mission’s scientific output, says Jim Green, NASA’s former chief scientist and former head of its planetary science efforts.
From Scientific American • Oct. 3, 2023
When Galileo started turning telescopes on the heavens in the early 1600s, the heliocentric model caught on—which, “for many people, made astrology a bit less likely,” Campion says.
From National Geographic • Aug. 24, 2023
This explained the motion of the planets in the heavens with incredible accuracy; no longer could astronomers object that the heliocentric system was inferior to the geocentric one.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
