An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A cosmological hypothesis, based on Einstein’s relativity, in which the expanding Universe began from an exploding “primeval atom.” In the Lemaître Universe the rate of expansion steadily decreases.

See also: Named after Monsignor Georges Edouard Lemaître (1894-1966), a Belgian Roman Catholic priest, honorary prelate, professor of physics and astronomer; → universe.