meteorology

noun me·te·o·rol·o·gy \ ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈrä-lə-jē \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of meteorology

1 : a science that deals with the atmosphere and its phenomena and especially with weather and weather forecasting

studied the principles of meteorology

2 : the atmospheric phenomena and weather of a region

the meteorology of the Gulf of Mexico

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meteorologic

play \-rə-ˈlä-jik\ or meteorological play \-ji-kəl\ adjective

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meteorologically

play \-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

meteorologist

play \-ˈrä-lə-jist\ noun

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Recent Examples of meteorology from the Web

His foray into chasing was cautious and methodical, including his enrollment in a basic meteorology program in 1990.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "How a Legendary Storm Chaser Changed the Face of Tornado Science," 5 Apr. 2018
The firm said Monday that its customer Spire Global will have two Lemur-2 cubesats—small satellites used for meteorology and ship traffic tracking—on board a launch that will blast off from Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula.

— jason murdock, Newsweek, "Rocket Lab: U.S. Space Startup Says First Commercial Flight in ‘Coming Weeks’," 14 Mar. 2018
Francis, who studied meteorology and earned her Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, said three-quarters of Arctic ice volume has disappeared in the last 40 years.

— frank kummer, Philly.com, "How Arctic warming may be causing our harsh winter," 13 Mar. 2018
Samantha Durbin is a Capital Weather Gang intern, studying meteorology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

— samantha durbin, Washington Post, "10 things you should know about nor’easters," 27 Feb. 2018
The decision to start later on Wednesday came after consultation with maintenance people who checked the roads, the city street and county highway departments, and the VU meteorology department.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Early dismissals, late starts and car crashes: Snowfall totals top 8 inches in Porter County," 17 Jan. 2018
The story explaining the incredible flooding in Houston during Hurricane Harvey has many chapters, ranging from meteorology to the history of groundwater use and development zoning.

— scott k. johnson, Ars Technica, "Hurricane Harvey studies: Yesterday’s 100-year storm is today’s 30-year storm," 17 Dec. 2017
But the utility, which maintains its own meteorology department, will keep an eye on conditions throughout the weekend.

— david r. baker, San Francisco Chronicle, "PG&E may shut off power lines to prevent fires in this weekend’s wind storm," 15 Dec. 2017
Trainees go through classroom instruction -- including meteorology, aerodynamics and aircraft systems-- spend time in flight simulators and then build up 1,500 hours of flying experience before they are hired at JetBlue.

— mary schlangenstein, Bloomberg.com, "JetBlue to Expand Program That Turns Grocery Clerks Into Pilots," 6 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meteorology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of meteorology

French or Greek; French météorologie, from Middle French, from Greek meteōrologia, from meteōron + -logia -logy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1563

See Words from the same year

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

METEOROLOGY Defined for English Language Learners

meteorology

noun

Definition of meteorology for English Language Learners

: a science that deals with the atmosphere and with weather

METEOROLOGY Defined for Kids

meteorology

noun me·te·o·rol·o·gy \ ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈrä-lə-jē \

Definition of meteorology for Students

: a science that deals with the atmosphere, weather, and weather forecasting

Learn More about meteorology

Spanish Central: Translation of meteorology Nglish: Translation of meteorology for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of meteorology for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about meteorology

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meteorology

Definition of meteorology

meteorologic

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meteorology

Definition of meteorology for English Language Learners

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