Meaning

(astronomy, history) The theory that the sun is the center of the universe..

Definitions by Sense

1. (astronomy, history) The theory that the sun is the center of the universe.
2. (informal) The phenomenon of the Earth revolving around the Sun.

Example Sentences

1923, Felix Adler, "The Reconstruction of the Spiritual Ideal," American Ethical Union, 68. Geocentrism has been displaced by heliocentrism. Heliocentrism, in turn, the claim of the sun, surrounded by its satellites, to a sovereign place in the heavens, has become ridiculous in the face of the wilderness of suns that people the abysses beyond us.

It wasn't until the Renaissance that scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei showed proof for heliocentrism, or the idea that the planets moved around the sun.

You would think the practitioners of the dismal science of economics would look at their demand curves and the data on incomes and taxes and pronounce a verdict, the way Galileo and Copernicus did when they showed that geocentrism was a fantasy because the Earth revolves around the sun (known as heliocentrism).

Heliocentrism is not yet universally known or accepted. In a 1999 poll, 18 of Americans said that the sun revolves around the Earth, while 79 percent said Earth revolves around the sun.

Word Forms

• heliocentricism

Synonyms for heliocentrism

Antonyms for heliocentrism

Related Words

When Should You Use Heliocentrism?

Use heliocentrism when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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