chorography

noun

cho·​rog·​ra·​phy kə-ˈrä-grə-fē 

1

: the art of describing or mapping a region or district

2

: a description or map of a region

also : the physical conformation and features of such a region

chorographer

kə-ˈrä-grə-fər 

noun

chorographic

ˌkȯr-ə-ˈgra-fik 

ˌkär-

adjective

Did you know?

The word chorography was borrowed in the 16th century from Latin chorographia, which in turn comes from Greek chōrographia, a combination of "chōros" ("place") and "graphia" ("writing"). Chorography was distinguished from geography in that the former was concerned with smaller regions and specific locations whereas the latter was concerned with larger regions or with the world in general. The maps and the art of mapping that once were the field of chorography have since passed into the spheres of geography and topography. As with the art it names, the word chorography is now primarily encountered in historical discussions of geography and cartography.

Synonyms

• geography
• geomorphology
• landscape
• terrain
• topography

Example Sentences

a detailed map of the region's chorography

Word History

Etymology

Latin chorographia, from Greek chōrographia, from chōros place + -graphia -graphy

First Known Use

1559, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!