topography

C2 Topic:Places & Geography

US /təˈpɑɡɹəfi/ UK /təˈpɒɡɹəfi/ See IPA manual

Freq #40073

Meanings

1

noun
The shape and physical features of an area of land, such as hills and valleys.

The rough topography made the region hard to farm.
2

noun
The study or detailed mapping of the surface features of a place.

The expedition spent months on the topography of the coast.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the shape and physical... terrainlay of the land

Word family

Forms topographies

Related forms topographtopographertopographic topographical topographicallytopologytopometrytoponymy

Simplified etymology

Topography, recorded from late Middle English, derives in part from Greek topos, “place,” and denotes the arrangement of the physical features of an area.

Etymology

First attested in 1432. From Middle English topographye, from Latin topographia, from Ancient Greek τοπογραφία (topographía), from τόπος (tópos, “place”) + γράφω (gráphō, “to write”).

topographye Middle English topographia Latin τοπογραφία Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# topography

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /təˈpɑɡɹəfi/
**IPA (UK):** /təˈpɒɡɹəfi/
**Frequency rank:** 40073

## Meanings
1. The shape and physical features of an area of land, such as hills and valleys.
2. The study or detailed mapping of the surface features of a place.

## Examples
- The rough topography made the region hard to farm.
- The expedition spent months on the topography of the coast.

## Related Forms
- topograph
- topographer
- topographic
- topographical
- topographically
- topology
- topometry
- toponymy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: topographye
- Root: topographia
- Root: τοπογραφία

## Etymology
First attested in 1432. From Middle English topographye, from Latin topographia, from Ancient Greek τοπογραφία (topographía), from τόπος (tópos, “place”) + γράφω (gráphō, “to write”).

## AI Etymology
Topography is first attested in 1432. It is from Middle English topographye, from Latin topographia, from Ancient Greek τοπογραφία (topographía), from τόπος (tópos, “place”) + γράφω (gráphō, “to write”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include topographye (Middle English), topographia (Latin), and τοπογραφία (Ancient Greek). Current senses include the shape and physical features of an area of land, such as hills and valleys and the study or detailed mapping of the surface features of a place. The wider family includes related words such as topograph, topographer, topographic, and topographical.

## Topics
- Places & Geography
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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