What does "barycentre" mean?

The point at the centre of a system; an average point, weighted according to mass or other attribute. The term is usually used in astronomy for the centre of mass about which a system rotates, for example, the moon and the earth rotate about a common point within the earth but not near the centre. Jupiter and the Sun rotate about a common point just outside the surface of the Sun.

What is a synonym for "barycentre"?

Common synonyms include: centroid.

Barycentre

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The point at the centre of a system; an average point, weighted according to mass or other attribute. The term is usually used in astronomy for the centre of mass about which a system rotates, for example, the moon and the earth rotate about a common point within the earth but not near the centre. Jupiter and the Sun rotate about a common point just outside the surface of the Sun.

Synonyms

All synonyms

centroid

Etymology

From bary- + centre.

Related phrases

centre of gravity centre of mass

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.