heliocentrism

American  

[hee-lee-uh-sen-triz-uhm] / ˌhi li əˈsɛn trɪz əm /

noun

1. the astronomical theory in which the sun is at the center of a system that includes the earth and other planets, which revolve around it.

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Other Word Forms

• heliocentrist noun

Etymology

Origin of heliocentrism

First recorded in 1875–80; heliocentr(ic) ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

It named for Nicolaus Copernicus, the Renaissance proponent of heliocentrism, the theory that placed the sun rather than the Earth at the centre of the universe.

From Reuters • Sep. 7, 2023

Copernicus’s theory was little known outside of astronomical circles, with most astronomers expressing dismay and skepticism at the idea of heliocentrism.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

But projecting simple consciousness, in my view, actually contributes to an elegant solution to the mind-body problem which removes all the “epicycles” generated by physicalism and dualism—just like heliocentrism did to geocentrism.

From Scientific American • Dec. 15, 2019

Four towering sixteenth-century scientists — Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei — discovered heliocentrism at a time of sociopolitical tumult.

From Nature • Dec. 9, 2019

The disconcerting lessons of heliocentrism, of evolutionary theory, and of relativity and quantum theory are frequently cited cases in point.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro