geostrophic

American

[jee-uh-strof-ik, -stroh-fik] / ˌdʒi əˈstrɒf ɪk, -ˈstroʊ fɪk /

adjective

of or relating to the balance between the Coriolis force and the horizontal pressure force in the atmosphere.

geostrophic British

/ ˌdʒiːəʊˈstrɒfɪk /

adjective

of, relating to, or caused by the force produced by the rotation of the earth

geostrophic wind

"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

Etymology

Origin of geostrophic

First recorded in 1915–20; geo- + strophic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The geostrophic jolt, statesmen grimly reveal, has knocked the earth 11� off its axis and, what is in finitely worse, has steeply deflected its orbit.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023