geography

ge·og·ra·phy

noun \jē-ˈä-grə-fē\

plural ge·og·ra·phies

Definition of GEOGRAPHY

1

: a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface

2

: the geographic features of an area

3

: a treatise on geography

4

a : a delineation or systematic arrangement of constituent elements : configuration

b : makeup 1 <her emotional geography>

Examples of GEOGRAPHY

1. studying the geography of the western United States
2. <the geography of the region matches ancient descriptions of the location of the lost city>

Origin of GEOGRAPHY

Latin geographia, from Greek geōgraphia, from geōgraphein to describe the earth's surface, from geō- + graphein to write — more at carve

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to GEOGRAPHY

Synonyms

chorography, geomorphology, landscape, terrain, topography

Related Words

scenery; ground, land, landform, terrane, terrene

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Rhymes with GEOGRAPHY

autography, cacography, cartography, chorography, chronography, cosmography, cryptography, demography, discography, ethnography, filmography, holography, lithography, lymphography, mammography, mythography, nomography, orthography, phonography, photography, pictography, planography, pornography, reprography, sonography, stenography, thermography, tomography, topography, typography, venography, xerography, xylography

geography

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Science of the Earth's surface, which describes and analyzes the spatial variations in physical, biological, and human phenomena that occur on the surface of the globe and treats their interrelationships and their significant regional patterns. Once associated entirely with mapping and the exploration of the Earth, the field today is wide-ranging, and geographers use a variety of methods and techniques drawn from numerous disciplines. Subfields of geography include physical, human, and regional geography, which may range in scale from worldwide to a continent, a country, or a city.