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cosmos

/ˈkɑzmoʊz/

/ˈkɒzmɒs/

Other forms: cosmoses

The cosmos is the sum total of everything — pretty big. It's hard to wrap your mind around the cosmos, as it extends far beyond the Milky Way, or far-off galaxies, or even our own universe.

Cosmos is originally a Greek word, meaning both "order" and "world," because the ancient Greeks thought that the world was perfectly harmonious and impeccably put in order. We now use cosmos without the idea of perfect order. Now it means, "all of creation," and particularly on the scale of the stars, the planets, the black holes, the other universes, and all the stuff we don't know about. It's also, totally separately, the name of a pretty, flowering Mexican herb.

Definitions of cosmos
  1. noun
    everything that exists anywhere
    synonyms: creation, existence, macrocosm, universe, world
    see moresee less
    types:
    closed universe
    (cosmology) a universe that is spatially closed and in which there is sufficient matter to halt the expansion that began with the big bang; the visible matter is only 10 percent of the matter required for closure but there may be large amounts of dark matter
    natural order
    the physical universe considered as an orderly system subject to natural (not human or supernatural) laws
    environment, nature
    the natural physical world including plants and animals and landscapes etc.
    type of:
    natural object
    an object occurring naturally; not made by man
  2. noun
    any of various mostly Mexican herbs of the genus Cosmos having radiate heads of variously colored flowers and pinnate leaves; popular fall-blooming annuals
    synonyms: cosmea
    see moresee less
    type of:
    flower
    a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
Pronunciation
US

/ˈkɑzmoʊz/

UK

/ˈkɒzmɒs/

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘cosmos'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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