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heelal

Heelal is a noun used in Dutch and Afrikaans to denote the universe or cosmos. In Dutch it is most commonly used with the definite article as het heelal, meaning the entire universe, including all space, time, matter, and energy. In Afrikaans the equivalent form is die heelal. The term conveys totality: it is formed from heel (whole) and al (all), signaling the creation in its entirety.

Etymology and meaning: The word combines elements meaning “whole” and “all,” and it has been used in

Usage and context: In Dutch, phrases such as in het heelal or het heelal wordt bestudeerd are

See also: Universe, Cosmos, Astronomy.

both
religious
and
philosophical
writing
to
refer
to
the
totality
of
the
created
order.
In
everyday
language
it
can
appear
in
poetic
or
descriptive
prose
to
evoke
vastness
and
the
grandeur
of
existence.
In
scientific
and
educational
contexts,
heelal
is
employed
as
the
Dutch-
or
Afrikaans-language
equivalent
of
the
English
word
“universe,”
describing
the
space
that
contains
all
matter,
energy,
galaxies,
and
cosmic
structures
known
or
hypothesized.
used
to
discuss
cosmology,
astronomy,
or
theological
discussions
of
creation.
In
Afrikaans,
die
heelal
similarly
appears
in
both
secular
science
writing
and
religious
or
philosophical
discourse.
Across
both
languages,
heelal
functions
as
a
concise
label
for
the
totality
of
the
cosmos
and
the
subject
of
cosmology
and
reflection
on
existence.