Cosmoi

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒzmɔɪ/

Definitions

1. Referring to multiple universes or realms considered as distinct, ordered, or harmonious systems; indicating several comprehensive or cosmic entities viewed collectively as plural worlds
2. Describing various underlying universal orders or entirety of worlds regarded as unique yet interconnected structures; multiple cosmological domains perceived in a philosophical or mythological context
3. Expressing a plurality of cosmoses embodying different complete and self-contained realities or systems; several conceptual universes understood as complex totalities or grand arrangements of all existence

Etymology: "Cosmoi" is the plural of "cosmos," and English borrowed it directly from Ancient Greek, where "kosmos" meant something like "order" or "arrangement" before it ever meant the universe. The Greeks used the word for a well-ordered thing: a tidy household, a fine adornment, or the orderly structure of the whole world. The philosopher Pythagoras is traditionally credited with applying it to the universe as an ordered system, which is where the sense of "cosmos" as the totality of existence begins. The plural form carries that idea one step further. Where "cosmos" names the single ordered whole, "cosmoi" names several such wholes at once, each a complete arrangement of reality with its own internal logic. The Greek plural itself was used by ancient writers to refer to multiple world-orders, so English speakers adopting the form were borrowing a usage already present in the source language.

Synonyms: universes, worlds, realms