cosmography

American  

[koz-mog-ruh-fee] / kɒzˈmɒg rə fi /

noun

plural

cosmographies

1. a science that describes and maps the main features of the heavens and the earth, including astronomy, geography, and geology.

2. a description or representation of the main features of the universe.

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cosmography British  

/ ˌkɒzməˈɡræfɪk, kɒzˈmɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. a representation of the world or the universe

2. the science dealing with the whole order of nature

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cosmography Scientific  

/ kŏz-mŏg′rə-fē /

1. The study of the visible universe that includes the measurement and cataloging of its objects and structures.

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Other Word Forms

• cosmographer noun
• cosmographic adjective
• cosmographical adjective
• cosmographically adverb
• cosmographist noun

Etymology

Origin of cosmography

1350–1400; Middle English < Greek kosmographía description of the world. See cosmo-, -graphy

Explanation

If you've ever wondered how the Earth, stars, planets, galaxies, and everything that exists in the universe fit together, then you may have an interest in cosmography, the science of mapping the universe. Cosmography comes from the Greek words kosmos, meaning "world" or "universe," and graphia, meaning "writing" or "description." It's a field of study that attempts to describe the universe as a whole, mapping out everything from the stars and planets to the Earth itself. In the past, people who studied cosmography created maps and charts that depicted not only geographical features but also the arrangement of the heavens, blending science, astronomy, and geography into a comprehensive view of the cosmos.

Example Sentences

All the publicity has made it occupy a strange place in the cultural cosmography of Washington.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026

"To measure the Hubble constant using time-delay cosmography, you need a really massive galaxy that can act as a lens," said Wong.

From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2025

This includes highlighting the knowledge of the past — be it stories, tools or cosmography.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2022

His map, so Brotton convincingly demonstrates, "was part of a cosmography that aimed to transcend the theological persecution and division of sixteenth-century Europe."

From The Guardian • Aug. 24, 2012

This view, that the agglomerate of earth and water was not a perfect sphere, was universally accepted in the later Middle Ages, and the new cosmography required its refutation.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton