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
- heliocentrically adverb
- heliocentricism noun
- heliocentricity noun
Etymology
Origin of heliocentric
Compare meaning
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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
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
Asked what best suits the Clippers’ heliocentric, high-usage offense, he described an operator similar to “kind of like how Mario Chalmers was with the Heat,” Wall said at the team’s shootaround Thursday in Milwaukee.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 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.
