heliocentrism

[ hee-lee-uh-sen-triz-uhm ]

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. Compare geocentrism ( def 1 ).

Other Words From

• he·li·o·cen·trist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heliocentrism¹

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

Rogan and his guest Jordan Peterson — another whiny reactionary who largely focuses on throwing tantrums over challenges to patriarchal authority and threatens to sue feminists who question him — recently unleashed a bunch of complaints about the science of climate change that really would have felt comfy to a 16th century priest defending heliocentrism.

From Salon

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

Copernicus’s disciple Rheticus, in the first published account of the Copernican theory, held back any reference to heliocentrism for as long as he possibly could, for fear of alienating his readers.

From Literature

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 Literature