stratigraphy

[ struh-tig-ruh-fee ]

/ strəˈtɪg rə fi /

Save This Word!

noun

a branch of geology dealing with the classification, nomenclature, correlation, and interpretation of stratified rocks.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stratigraphy

First recorded in 1860–65; strati- + -graphy

OTHER WORDS FROM stratigraphy

stra·tig·ra·pher, stra·tig·ra·phist, nounstrat·i·graph·ic

[strat-i-graf-ik], /ˌstræt ɪˈgræf ɪk/, strat·i·graph·i·cal, adjectivestrat·i·graph·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stratigraphy in a sentence

It was in this way chiefly that William Smith, the founder of English stratigraphic geology, used them.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 56, March 1900|Various
The absence of the mesonychids might, but probably should not, be explained as a result of stratigraphic differences.
Preliminary Survey of a Paleocene Faunule from the Angels Peak Area, New Mexico|Robert W. Wilson
A grouping of distinct species of fossils correlated with stratigraphic characters in the rocks determines these subdivisions.
Dinosaurs|William Diller Matthew
This assumption is further backed by stratigraphic evidence provided by projectile points (table 4).
The Topanga Culture Final Report on Excavations, 1948|A. E. Treganza

Similar stratigraphic relations are shown at many other places.
The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin|Rollin D. Salisbury

British Dictionary definitions for stratigraphy

stratigraphy

/ (strəˈtɪɡrəfɪ) /

noun

the study of the composition, relative positions, etc, of rock strata in order to determine their geological historyAbbreviation: stratig

archaeol a vertical section through the earth showing the relative positions of the human artefacts and therefore the chronology of successive levels of occupation

Derived forms of stratigraphy

stratigrapher (strəˈtɪɡrəfə) or stratigraphist (strəˈtɪɡrəfɪst), nounstratigraphic (ˌstrætɪˈɡræfɪk) or stratigraphical, adjective

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 stratigraphy

stratigraphy

[ strə-tĭg′rə-fē ]

The scientific study of rock strata, especially the distribution, deposition, correlation, and age of sedimentary rocks.