topography

[tuh-pog-ruh-fee]

noun

plural

topographies 

1. the detailed mapping or charting of the features of a relatively small area, district, or locality.

2. the detailed description, especially by means of surveying, of particular localities, as cities, towns, or estates.

3. the relief features or surface configuration of an area.

4. the features, relations, or configuration of a structural entity.

5. a schema of a structural entity, as of the mind, a field of study, or society, reflecting a division into distinct areas having a specific relation or a specific position relative to one another.

topography

/ ˌtɒpəˈɡræfɪk, təˈpɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the study or detailed description of the surface features of a region

2. the detailed mapping of the configuration of a region

3. the land forms or surface configuration of a region

4. the surveying of a region's surface features

5. the study or description of the configuration of any object

topography

1. The three-dimensional arrangement of physical attributes (such as shape, height, and depth) of a land surface in a place or region. Physical features that make up the topography of an area include mountains, valleys, plains, and bodies of water. Human-made features such as roads, railroads, and landfills are also often considered part of a region's topography.

2. The detailed description or drawing of the physical features of a place or region, especially in the form of contour maps.

Other Word Forms

• topographic adjective
• topographical adjective
• topographer noun
• topographically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of topography¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English topographye, from Late Latin topographia, from Greek topographía; topo-, -graphy

Example Sentences

The country's mountainous topography can also make driving conditions perilous.

Read more on Barron's

“Certainly not in the areas of rich habitat where wildlife thrive, with topography that is unique to the area, kind of reflective of how it was when the Indigenous people were here,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Director of operations at Network Rail Sam MacDougall said Cumbria posed these "specific challenges" because of the regional weather and topography.

Read more on BBC

Further evidence for a north-to-south impact came from studying the moon's topography, crustal thickness, and surface chemistry.

Read more on Science Daily

Many faced the same challenges with topography that those in Fountaingrove did, but without the financial resources to make up for it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• contour