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geocentrism

geocentrism

1 9.2
The belief that Earth is the center and other bodies move around it
  • noun
  • /ˌdʒiːoʊˈsɛntrɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : geocentrismo
  • Geocentrism, which was the belief that the Earth was the center of the universe.

Examples

  • Astronomy at that time was still beholden to astrology and had to wait until the triumph of Copernicanism to overcome its geocentrism.

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  • They're as misconceived as geocentrism.

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  • It is worth mentioning that the common view of geocentrism as an obviously empirically wrong model is, I think, rather overstated.

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  • But that belief in biblical inerrancy has already been undermined by the Bible's erroneous teaching of geocentrism.

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  • The belief in geocentrism posited that the Earth was at the center of the universe, with all celestial bodies revolving around it.

  • Historically, geocentrism was a dominant theory in astronomy until the heliocentric model gained acceptance.

  • In many ancient cultures, the worldview of geocentrism influenced the understanding of cosmic order and placement of humanity.

Synonyms

geocentric model
vsgeocentrism
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A view that Earth is at the center and the Sun and stars move around it

is the general belief rather than one named scientific model
Ptolemaic system
vsgeocentrism
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A model that puts Earth at the center and has the sun and planets move around it

is the broader belief about Earth's centrality, not a single historical system

Surface Forms

geocentrism singular
geocentrisms plural

Morphology

geocentrism = geocentric (transparent) = geo + centr + ism

The noun is formed regularly from the adjective 'geocentric' plus '-ism', so the doctrinal meaning is directly recoverable from the base word.

Etymology

The word geocentrism combines geo- 'earth' and -centrism 'center', just like geography uses geo- to mean 'earth' and center means the middle. So geocentrism literally says 'Earth at the center', which explains the old belief that Earth sits at the middle of the universe.