topography

American  

[tuh-pog-ruh-fee] / təˈpɒg rə fi /

noun

topographies plural

1. the detailed mapping or charting of the features of a relatively small area, district, or locality.

2. the detailed description, especially by means of surveying, of particular localities, as cities, towns, or estates.

3. the relief features or surface configuration of an area.

4. the features, relations, or configuration of a structural entity.

5. a schema of a structural entity, as of the mind, a field of study, or society, reflecting a division into distinct areas having a specific relation or a specific position relative to one another.

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topography British  

/ ˌtɒpəˈɡræfɪk, təˈpɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the study or detailed description of the surface features of a region

2. the detailed mapping of the configuration of a region

3. the land forms or surface configuration of a region

4. the surveying of a region's surface features

5. the study or description of the configuration of any object

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topography Scientific  

/ tə-pŏg′rə-fē /

1. The three-dimensional arrangement of physical attributes (such as shape, height, and depth) of a land surface in a place or region. Physical features that make up the topography of an area include mountains, valleys, plains, and bodies of water. Human-made features such as roads, railroads, and landfills are also often considered part of a region's topography.

2. The detailed description or drawing of the physical features of a place or region, especially in the form of contour maps.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• topographical
  adjective
• topographically
  adverb
• topographic
  adjective
• topographer
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• topographies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of topography

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English topographye, from Late Latin topographia, from Greek topographía; see topo-, -graphy

Explanation

Topography is a detailed map of the surface features of land. It includes the mountains, hills, creeks, and other bumps and lumps on a particular hunk of earth. This handy word is a Greek-rooted combo of topos meaning "place" and graphein, "to write." The suffix -graphy means writing or representation made in a specific way, and shows up in familiar words like photography, oceanography, or even geography, which is similar to topography, but refers to where things are, but not what's on top. Topography represents a particular area in detail, including everything natural and man-made — hills, valleys, roads, or lakes. It's the geographical contours of the land.

Example Sentences

Topography is also a factor in communities where water is pumped from the valley floor up to hilltop storage tanks.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2025

Along with current and former members of Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab, Schmidt is a co-author of "Ice-Ocean Interactions on Ocean Worlds Influence Ice Shell Topography," published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024

NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, launched in December 2022, can measure the height of a water surface to within a couple of centimeters.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 18, 2023

The rocket's payload, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, or SWOT, incorporates advanced microwave radar technology to collect high-definition measurements of oceans, lakes, reservoirs and rivers over 90% of the globe.

From Reuters • Dec. 16, 2022

A Catalogue of Sir Richard Colt Hoare's Collection of Books relating to the History and Topography of Italy was printed in 1812.

From How to Form a Library, 2nd ed by Wheatley, Henry Benjamin

Related Words

• contour