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

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Etymology

Origin of heliocentrism

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heliocentrism

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

Both discoveries provided key evidence in favor of the model of heliocentrism, developed by Nicolaus Copernicus and published in 1543, which displaced the previous, dogmatic and incorrect, geocentric model of the universe.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 15, 2021

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

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

With this chronology in mind, we can now address an important question: was Copernicus’s adoption of the terraqueous-globe theory the key event which led to his switch from geocentrism to heliocentrism?

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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