topography

American  

[tuh-pog-ruh-fee] / təˈpɒg rə fi /

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.

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topography British  

/ 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

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topography Scientific  

/ tə-pŏg′rə-fē /

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of topography

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

Explanation

Topography is a detailed map of the surface features of land. It includes the mountains, hills, creeks, and other bumps and lumps on a particular hunk of earth. This handy word is a Greek-rooted combo of topos meaning "place" and graphein, "to write." The suffix -graphy means writing or representation made in a specific way, and shows up in familiar words like photography, oceanography, or even geography, which is similar to topography, but refers to where things are, but not what's on top. Topography represents a particular area in detail, including everything natural and man-made — hills, valleys, roads, or lakes. It's the geographical contours of the land.

Example Sentences

We call the deep, folded valleys of West Dorset “coombes,” a topography often too steep for tractors; too awkward to be given over to large-scale arable farming.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

"We realized that we could use these electron beams to control topography at very fine scales," Doshi said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Our beautiful encircling topography of mountains and hills is a bowl ready-made by ancient plate tectonics to be filled with smoke and smog.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

The difficult topography, a local aversion to so-called “gunboat” diplomacy, and corrupt political regimes have been among foreign firms’ many obstacles.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

Europa is about the size of our moon but its topography is markedly different.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• contour