cosmos
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cosmos
The entire universe with all stars, planets, and galaxies. It refers to the totality of space, time, matter, and energy.
Die Erforschung des Kosmos fasziniert die Menschen seit jeher.
The exploration of the cosmos has always fascinated people.
The word 'Kosmos' (cosmos) comes from Greek and originally means 'order.' Interestingly, it is therefore also related to the word 'Kosmetik' (cosmetics), which refers to ordering and beautifying one's appearance.
Die alten Griechen sahen im Kosmos eine perfekte, geordnete Welt.
The ancient Greeks saw the cosmos as a perfect, ordered world.
'Kosmos' (cosmos) is a rather elevated and poetic word. It is often found in philosophical, scientific, or literary texts.
In seinen Schriften entwickelte der Philosoph einen eigenen Kosmos an Ideen.
In his writings, the philosopher developed his own cosmos of ideas.
When referring to outer space, 'Kosmos' (cosmos) is often used with verbs like 'erforschen' (to explore) or in phrases such as 'die Weiten des Kosmos' (the vastness of the cosmos) or 'die Geheimnisse des Kosmos' (the mysteries of the cosmos).
Neue Teleskope helfen uns, die Geheimnisse des Kosmos zu entschlüsseln.
New telescopes help us decipher the mysteries of the cosmos.
You can often recognize the figurative meaning from a genitive construction or the preposition 'von' (of). Phrases like 'der Kosmos eines Autors' (an author's cosmos) or 'ein eigener kleiner Kosmos' (a little cosmos of one's own) show that it is about a self-contained world.
In ihrem Atelier hat sich die Künstlerin einen eigenen Kosmos geschaffen.
In her studio, the artist has created a world of her own.
world
'die Welt' and 'der Kosmos' can both refer to a large realm. 'Welt' is very broad in everyday language: it can mean the Earth, people, or a specific area of life. In its literal sense, 'Kosmos' means the entire universe and sounds somewhat more technical or elevated than 'Welt'. Figuratively, 'Kosmos' can also mean an ordered world or system of its own, for example 'den Kosmos eines Romans' (the world of a novel). Learners may confuse the words because both can sometimes describe 'eine eigene Welt' (a world of its own). For the Earth and everyday contexts, 'Welt' is more natural; for the universe or a self-contained system, 'Kosmos' is more precise.
Im Museum erklärt ein Film die Entstehung des Kosmos.
At the museum, a film explains the origin of the cosmos.
Durch das Internet wirkt die Welt manchmal kleiner.
Because of the internet, the world sometimes seems smaller.