Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei

6.3
An Italian scientist who used a telescope to study the sky and made major discoveries
  • proper noun
  • /ˌɡælɪˈleɪoʊ ɡælɪˈleɪ/
translation icon : Galileo Galilei
  • The telescope invented by Galileo Galilei revolutionized the study of the cosmos.

Examples

  • Many of Galileo Galilei's discoveries challenged the scientific beliefs of his time.

  • Galileo Galilei is often called the father of modern observational astronomy.

  • The telescope invented by Galileo Galilei revolutionized the study of the cosmos.

  • Galileo Galilei was a brilliant scientist.

  • The discoveries of Galileo Galilei changed the course of science.

  • Galileo Galilei is often called the father of modern observational astronomy.

  • Many of Galileo Galilei's discoveries challenged the scientific beliefs of his time.

Synonyms

Galileo
vsGalileo Galilei
46 6.0

An Italian scientist from the 1600s who used a telescope to study the stars and planets

uses the full formal personal name rather than the short familiar form

Surface Forms

Galileo Galilei main

Morphology

Galileo + Galilei

This item is a proper name (first name + surname); knowing the constituent forms only signals that it is a person's name but does not allow a B1 learner to infer the specific referent or biographical/occupational meaning. 'Galilei' is not a lexical item with compositional semantics, so understanding that this refers to the well-known Italian astronomer requires encyclopedic knowledge rather than derivation from the parts.

Etymology

Galileo Galilei was an Italian scientist who pointed a new telescope at the sky and saw moons around Jupiter and the phases of Venus, showing that Earth was not the center of the universe. That's why people call him the 'father of modern astronomy' and remember him for using careful observation to change how we understand the world.