Illustration of cosmos
- cosmos 3
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a
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: a complex orderly self-inclusive system
3
plural cosmos
ˈkäz-məs 
[New Latin, genus name, from Greek kosmos]
: any of a genus (Cosmos) of tropical American composite herbs
-məz
also cosmoses
ˈkäz-mə-səz
[New Latin, genus name, from Greek kosmos]
: any of a genus (Cosmos) of tropical American composite herbs
especially
: a widely cultivated tall annual (C. bipinnatus) with yellow or red disks and showy ray flowers
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Cosmos and the Universe
Cosmos often simply means "universe". But the word is generally used to suggest an orderly or harmonious universe, as it was originally used by Pythagoras in the 6th century B.C. Thus, a religious mystic may help put us in touch with the cosmos, and so may a physicist. The same is often true of the adjective cosmic: Cosmic rays (really particles rather than rays) bombard us from outer space, but cosmic questions come from human attempts to find order in the universe.
Examples of cosmos in a Sentence
the origins of the cosmos
an essay that ponders the place of humankind in the vast cosmos
Recent Examples on the Web
Our solar system, once thought to be the blueprint for all planetary systems, now stands as just one of countless possibilities—a unique configuration in a cosmos teeming with variety.
—
Dakotah Tyler, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2025
The name reflects the lunar rover's mission and practical value in aiding the Chinese people to uncover the mysteries of the moon, which is in line with China's yearning to explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build itself into a space power, CMSA said in a statement.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2025
The standard model is our basic picture of a cosmos dominated by cold dark matter and dark energy, operating under the province of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2025
So far, the VLT has allowed astronomers to trace orbits of stars in the nearest vicinity of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, taken the first ever image of a planet outside the solar system and uncovered the elusive cosmic web that sprawls across the entire cosmos.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cosmos
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Dakotah Tyler, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2025
The name reflects the lunar rover's mission and practical value in aiding the Chinese people to uncover the mysteries of the moon, which is in line with China's yearning to explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build itself into a space power, CMSA said in a statement.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2025
The standard model is our basic picture of a cosmos dominated by cold dark matter and dark energy, operating under the province of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2025
So far, the VLT has allowed astronomers to trace orbits of stars in the nearest vicinity of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, taken the first ever image of a planet outside the solar system and uncovered the elusive cosmic web that sprawls across the entire cosmos.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cosmos
Cite this Entry
“Cosmos.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmos. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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