primum mobile

[ pree-moom moh-bi-le; English prahy-muhm mob-uh-lee, pree- ]
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nounLatin.
  1. (in Ptolemaic astronomy) the outermost of the 10 concentric spheres of the universe, making a complete revolution every 24 hours and causing all the others to do likewise.

Origin of primum mobile

1
Literally, “first moving (thing)”

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British Dictionary definitions for primum mobile

primum mobile

/ Latin (ˈpraɪmʊm ˈməʊbɪlɪ) /


noun
  1. a prime mover

  2. astronomy the outermost empty sphere in the Ptolemaic system that was thought to revolve around the earth from east to west in 24 hours carrying with it the inner spheres of the planets, sun, moon, and fixed stars

Origin of primum mobile

1
C15: from Medieval Latin: first moving (thing)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012