cosmology
n.n. the study of the universe and how it began. It also refers to a specific set of beliefs about the universe and how it works.
n. the branch of astronomy dealing with the origin and evolution of the universe. It also refers to a system of beliefs concerning the nature of the universe and the relationship between its parts.
Modern cosmology explains how the universe expanded after the Big Bang.
The ancient Greeks developed early cosmology to explain why the stars moved across the night sky.
Advances in observational technology have allowed modern cosmology to map the distribution of dark matter across the cosmos with unprecedented precision.
From Medieval Latin cosmologia, from Ancient Greek κόσμος (kósmos, “world”) + -λογία (-logía, “treating of”), combination form of -λόγος (-lógos, “one who speaks (in a certain manner)”). By surface analysis, cosmo- + -logy.