cosmology

cos·mol·o·gy

noun \käz-ˈmä-lə-jē\

plural cos·mol·o·gies

Definition of COSMOLOGY

1

a : a branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of the universe

b : a theory or doctrine describing the natural order of the universe

2

: a branch of astronomy that deals with the origin, structure, and space-time relationships of the universe; also : a theory dealing with these matters

— cos·mo·log·i·cal \ˌkäz-mə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ adjective

— cos·mo·log·i·cal·ly \-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— cos·mol·o·gist \käz-ˈmä-lə-jist\ noun

Origin of COSMOLOGY

New Latin cosmologia, from Greek kosmos + New Latin -logia -logy

First Known Use: circa 1656

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

Rhymes with COSMOLOGY

chronology, gemology, graphology, horology, neurology, oology, pathology, psychology, technology, trichology, urology

cosmology

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Field of study that brings together the natural sciences, especially astronomy and physics, in an effort to understand the physical universe as a unified whole. The first great age of scientific cosmology began in Greece in the 6th century BC, when the Pythagoreans introduced the concept of a spherical Earth and, unlike the Babylonians and Egyptians, hypothesized that the heavenly bodies moved according to the harmonious relations of natural laws. Their thought culminated in the Ptolemaic model (see Ptolemy) of the universe (2nd century AD). The Copernican revolution (see Copernican system) of the 16th century ushered in the second great age. The third began in the early 20th century, with the formulation of special relativity and its development into general relativity by Albert Einstein. The basic assumptions of modern cosmology are that the universe is homogeneous in space (on the average, all places are alike at any time) and that the laws of physics are the same everywhere.