geodesy

[ jee-od-uh-see ]

/ dʒiˈɒd ə si /

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noun

the branch of applied mathematics that deals with the measurement of the shape and area of large tracts of country, the exact position of geographical points, and the curvature, shape, and dimensions of the earth.

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Also ge·o·det·ics

[jee-uh-det-iks]. /ˌdʒi əˈdɛt ɪks/.

Origin of geodesy

1560–70; <French géodésie<Greek geōdaisía, equivalent to geō-geo- + daí(ein) to divide + -sia, variant of -ia-ia (generalized from stems ending in t)

OTHER WORDS FROM geodesy

ge·od·e·sist, noun

Words nearby geodesy

geode, geodemographics, geodesic, geodesic dome, geodesic line, geodesy, geodetic, geodetic latitude, geodetic longitude, geodetic survey, geodetic surveying

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use geodesy in a sentence

So we shall put the question otherwise; can geodesy aid us the better to know nature?
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
And to-day, a century and a half after the victory of the Newtonians, think you geodesy has nothing more to teach us?
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
Geodesy can therefore weigh them from afar, so to speak, and tell us of their distribution.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
We reach what may be called the second heroic period of geodesy.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar

The theodolites used in geodesy vary in pattern and in size—the horizontal circles ranging from 10 in.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for geodesy

geodesy

geodetics (ˌdʒiːəʊˈdɛtɪks)

/ (dʒɪˈɒdɪsɪ) /

noun

the branch of science concerned with determining the exact position of geographical points and the shape and size of the earth

Derived forms of geodesy

geodesist, noun

Word Origin for geodesy

C16: from French géodésie, from Greek geōdaisia, from geo- + daiein to divide

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

Scientific definitions for geodesy

geodesy

[ jē-ŏd′ĭ-sē ]

The scientific study of the size and shape of the Earth, its field of gravity, and such varying phenomena as the motion of the magnetic poles and the tides.

Other words from geodesy

geodetic adjective