heliocentrism

Noun

heliocentrism (uncountable)

1. The theory that the Sun is the center of the universe.
   • 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.1923, Felix Adler, "The Reconstruction of the Spiritual Ideal," American Ethical Union, 68.
   • 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.2019, Elizabeth Howell, “PBS Series Takes Astronomy Buffs Back in Time With ‘Ancient Skies’”, in Space.com

   Synonyms:

   heliocentricity

   Antonyms:

   geocentrism

2. (informal) The phenomenon of the Earth revolving 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...2012, David Cay Johnston, chapter 16, in Dean Starkman, Felix Salmon, Martha M. Hamilton, Ryan Chittum, editors, The Best Business Writing 2012, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 191
   • 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.2014, Rebecca Stefoff, chapter 4, in Andrew Coddington, Cynthia Roby, Peter Mavrikis, editors, The Sun and the Earth, 1st edition, New York: Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC, →ISBN, page 34