Dictionary

topography en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /təˈpɑɡɹəfi/ (General-American)
• /təˈpɒɡɹəfi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio

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”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A precise description of a place.
2. (countable, uncountable) A detailed graphic representation of the surface features of a place or object.
3. (countable, uncountable) The features themselves.
4. (countable, uncountable) The surveying of the features.
5. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A figurative landscape; a structure of interrelated ideas, etc.
   • With good humor if predictably, the emotional topography of the faire facilitates a kind of liberation from both the closet and the cruelty of high school cliquedom. 2014, Rachel Lee Rubin, Well Met: Renaissance Faires and the American Counterculture, page 283:

Forms

Deriveds

palaeotopography · craniotopography · paleotopography · ocean surface topography · sociotopography · diffraction topography · corneal topography · basin and range topography · keratotopography · phototopography · nanotopography · phytotopography · selenotopography · microtopography

Relateds

topographic · topology · topometry · toponymy · topographer · topographic prominence · topographically · topograph · topographical

Synonyms

terrain · lay of the land

Translations (57)

ja 地形 (the features themselves (the terrain)) · ko 지세 (the features themselves (the terrain)) · ru топогра́фия (the features themselves (the terrain)) · el τοπογραφία (the features themselves (the terrain)) · pl topografia (the features themselves (the terrain)) · fi paikkakuvaus (precise description of a place) · ru релье́ф (the features themselves (the terrain)) · fr topographie (the features themselves (the terrain)) · id topografi (precise description of a place) · sw topografia (the features themselves (the terrain)) · cmn 地形圖 /地形图 (detailed graphic representation) · tr topografi (the features themselves (the terrain)) · fi maastomittaus (surveying of the features) · lv topogrāfija (the features themselves (the terrain)) · tl talalatagan (the features themselves (the terrain)) · pl topografia (precise description of a place) · ja 地勢 (the features themselves (the terrain)) · id topografi (the features themselves (the terrain)) · he טוֹפּוֹגְרַפְיָה (the features themselves (the terrain)) · ca topografia (the features themselves (the terrain)) · is svæðislýsing (precise description of a place) · fi maastoesitys (detailed graphic representation) · is staðfræði (precise description of a place) · pl topografia (detailed graphic representation) · gl topografía (the features themselves (the terrain)) · cmn 地點詳述 /地点详述 (precise description of a place) · mi āhua matawhenua (the features themselves (the terrain)) · ko 지형 (the features themselves (the terrain)) · es topografía (the features themselves (the terrain)) · hu topográfia (precise description of a place) · uk топогра́фія (the features themselves (the terrain)) · grc τοπογραφία (precise description of a place) · hu helyrajz (precise description of a place) · mi takoto (the features themselves (the terrain)) · cmn 地形 (the features themselves (the terrain)) · it topografia (the features themselves (the terrain)) · pt topografia (the features themselves (the terrain)) · ga topagrafaíocht (the features themselves (the terrain)) · da topografi (the features themselves (the terrain)) · yi טאָפּאָגראַפֿיע (the features themselves (the terrain)) · cmn 思維地圖 /思维地图 (figurative landscape) · fi maasto (figurative landscape) · cmn 地形測量 /地形测量 (surveying of the features) · eo topografio (the features themselves (the terrain)) · fi topografia (surveying of the features) · nl topografie (the features themselves (the terrain)) · csb topògrafijô (the features themselves (the terrain)) · tl kalatagan (the features themselves (the terrain)) · pl topografia (surveying of the features) · cmn 地勢 /地势 (the features themselves (the terrain)) · mi takoto o te whenua (the features themselves (the terrain)) · fi topografia (detailed graphic representation) · de Topografie (the features themselves (the terrain)) · pl topografia (figurative landscape) · km ឋានលេខន៍ (precise description of a place) · mi matawhenua (detailed graphic representation) · fi topografia (the features themselves (the terrain))