Main Entry:

ge·od·e·sy

Pronunciation:

\jē-ˈä-də-sē\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Greek geōdaisia, from geō- ge- + daiesthai to divide — more at tide

Date:

1853

: a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the determination of the size and shape of the earth and the exact positions of points on its surface and with the description of variations of its gravity field

— ge·od·e·sist \-də-sist\ noun