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cartography

[kahr-tog-ruh-fee]
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noun

the production of maps, including construction of projections, design, compilation, drafting, and reproduction.

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What bizarre error gave California its name?When the Spanish first began exploring the Pacific Coast of North America, they mistakenly believed that California was an island. (Some of the earliest and most fascinating maps of the state depict it as separated from the mainland.) This is considered one of the greatest, albeit short-lived, cartographic errors. Early mapmakers began labeling the “island” as California, the name of a mythical island in a book …
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RELATED WORDS

topography, geopolitics, geology, physiography, topology, chorography

Nearby words

  1. cartload,
  2. cartogram,
  3. cartograph,
  4. cartographer,
  5. cartographic,
  6. cartomancy,
  7. carton,
  8. carton-pierre,
  9. cartonnier,
  10. cartoon

Origin of cartography

1855–60; < Latin c(h)art(a) carte + -o- + -graphy
Related formscar·to·graph [kahr-tuh-graf, -grahf] /ˈkɑr təˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf/, nouncar·tog·ra·pher, nouncar·to·graph·ic [kahr-tuh-graf-ik] /ˌkɑr təˈgræf ɪk/, car·to·graph·i·cal, adjectivecar·to·graph·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cartography

British Dictionary definitions for cartography

cartography

chartography

noun

the art, technique, or practice of compiling or drawing maps or charts
Derived Formscartographer or chartographer, nouncartographic (ˌkɑːtəˈɡræfɪk), cartographical, chartographic or chartographical, adjectivecartographically or chartographically, adverb

Word Origin for cartography

C19: from French cartographie, from carte map, chart
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for cartography

cartography

n.

1843, from French cartographie, from Medieval Latin carta (see card (n.)) + French -graphie, from Greek -graphein "to write, to draw" (see -graphy). Related: Cartographer; cartographic.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for cartography

cartography

[kär-tŏg′rə-fē]

The art or technique of making maps or charts.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.