Definition

Proper noun: - A Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest: Georges Henri Lemaître was a scientist and clergyman who proposed the theory of the expansion of the universe, which later became a foundational element of the Big Bang cosmological model.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The theory proposed by Georges Henri Lemaître was initially met with skepticism.
  • Georges Henri Lemaître was both a physicist and a man of faith.

Advanced Usage

• "Lemaître's theory": Refers specifically to his cosmological proposal of an expanding universe originating from a "primeval atom."
  • Lemaître's theory provided a compelling alternative to the steady-state model of the universe.

Variants and Related Words

• Big Bang theory: The prevailing cosmological model for the observable universe's evolution from a high-density state, for which Lemaître's work provided key theoretical groundwork.
• Hubble-Lemaître law: The observation in physical cosmology that galaxies are moving away from Earth at speeds proportional to their distance. While often called Hubble's law, Lemaître independently derived it and published it earlier.

Synonyms

• Cosmologist: A scientist who studies the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe.
• Astrophysicist: A scientist who applies the laws of physics to astronomical objects and phenomena.

Noun

1. Belgian cosmologist who proposed the big-bang theory of the origin of the universe (1894-1966)