hydrology

noun

hy·​drol·​o·​gy hī-ˈdrä-lə-jē How to pronounce hydrology (audio)
: a science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on and below the earth's surface and in the atmosphere
hydrologic adjective
or hydrological
hydrologically adverb
hydrologist noun

Examples of hydrology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Prevention of threats such as sea level rise, pollution, and hydrology changes will take more time but have a larger, long-term impact. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024 Evolutionary theory, botany, geography, physics, hydrology, countless poems, paintings, essays, and stories—all trying to make sense of the tree. Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 16 Jan. 2024 The hydrology plan—including wetland water recirculation, rainwater collection, and land terracing—reverses damage from poor farming practices and extreme weather, leading to less municipal water usage, more wildlife, and a cooler environment. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2023 Climate change registered to snow hydrologists as a future problem, but for the most part their job remained squarely hydrology: working out the ticktock of a highly variable yet presumably coherent water cycle. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2024 Depending on a lake’s location and hydrology, climate change might have the opposite impact: With bouts of torrential rainfall, some lakes that are already pink might lose some of their color, environmental scientist Tilo Massenbauer tells the ABC. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023 In the most recent 2021 assessment, the nation’s dams were given a grade of D. In part, that’s because engineering standards and our understanding of hydrology were far less robust when these dams were built, says Del Shannon, a civil engineer in Colorado and the dam report card’s primary author. Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2023 All that water has reshaped wildlands, upending the natural rhythms of some species, hydrology and wildlife experts told The Times. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023 The old hydrology was reasserting itself, the lake bottom transmuted back into a lake. Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 31 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hydrology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin hydrologia, from Latin hydr- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydrology was in 1762

Dictionary Entries Near hydrology

Cite this Entry

“Hydrology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hydrology

noun
hy·​drol·​o·​gy hī-ˈdräl-ə-jē How to pronounce hydrology (audio)
: a science dealing with the characteristics, distribution, and circulation of water on and below the surface of the land and in the atmosphere
hydrologic adjective
or hydrological
hydrologist noun

Medical Definition

hydrology

noun
hy·​drol·​o·​gy hī-ˈdräl-ə-jē How to pronounce hydrology (audio)
plural hydrologies
: the body of medical knowledge and practice concerned with the therapeutic use of bathing and water

More from Merriam-Webster on hydrology

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