primum mobile
The outermost celestial sphere of the heavens in Ptolemaic astronomy, which was…The outermost celestial sphere of the heavens in Ptolemaic astronomy, which was believed to cause all the inner spheres to rotate.
Meaning
3 senses(historical)The outermost celestial sphere of the heavens in Ptolemaic astronomy, which was believed to cause all the inner spheres to rotate.
The prime mover or first cause (“an initial cause from which all other causes and effects follow”).
первопричи́наpervopričína
(broadly)The person or thing that is the main impetus for some action; a driving force.
- an agent that is the cause of all things but does not itself have a cause
Translations
3 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English primum mobile (“outermost celestial sphere causing other spheres to moFrom Middle English primum mobile (“outermost celestial sphere causing other spheres to move”), borrowed from Medieval Latin prīmum mōbile (literally “first mover”), a calque of Arabic مُحَرِّك أَوَّل (muḥarrik ʔawwal, “first mover”), which is itself a calque of Ancient Greek τὸ πρῶτον κινῆσαν (tò prôton kinêsan, “prime mover”).
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Forms
plural: primum mobiles / prima mobilia| Singular | primum mobile |
|---|---|
| Plural | primum mobiles / prima mobilia |
regular
Synonyms
3 synonyms- an agent that is the cause of all things but does not itself have a cause:first causeprime mover
Lessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Plural nouns — Because its plural is irregular