Definition of "cosmology" [cos•mol•o•gy]

• The study of the physical universe considered as a totality of phenomena in time and space. (noun)
• The astrophysical study of the history, structure, and constituent dynamics of the universe. (noun)
• A specific theory or model of this structure and these dynamics. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Since the most familiar part of the _prima facie_ reality, the part almost exclusively noticed by the naive mind, is embraced within the field of the physical sciences, the term cosmology has come more definitely to signify the _philosophy of nature_."
• "In short: theory and observation diverged in cosmology; theory and observation converged in climate physics. juggler"
• "I am not an expert in cosmology, but I did post a comment with links."