topography

[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.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English topographye < Late Latin topographia < Greek topographía. See topo-, -graphy
Related forms
topographic
[top-uh-graf-ik] /ˌtɒp əˈgræf ɪk/ (Show IPA), topographical, adjective
topographically, adverb
nontopographical, adjective
untopographical, adjective
untopographically, adverb
Can be confused
topography, typography.
Examples from the web for topography
  • Political boundaries are irrelevant except where topography has limited gene flow between populations.
  • Little was known of the topography of the country beyond the settlements of these frontiersmen.
  • The reason is a mix of topography and public policy.
  • Next, it measures how the returning rays compare with rays bounced off a flat reference object, creating topography.
  • And the local topography changes according to the seasons.
  • Science can map the topography of the landscape and help us to traverse it, efficiently ascending peaks of well-being.
  • So, too, it is with the genetic topography of our species.
  • But, there are also more fine-grained patterns of local positioning and topography.
  • Partly, of course, from differences in topography and human population density.
  • There is on known topography there, so the there is little likelihood that local stimulation will stimulate related neurons.
British Dictionary definitions for topography

topography

/təˈpɒɡrəfɪ/
noun (pl) -phies
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
Derived Forms
topographer, noun
topographic (ˌtɒpəˈɡræfɪk), topographical, adjective
topographically, adverb
Word Origin and History for topography
n.

early 15c., from Late Latin topographia, from Greek topographia "a description of a place," from topographos "describing a place" (as a noun, "one who is skilled in topography"), from topos "place" (see topos) + graphein "to write" (see -graphy).

topography in Medicine

topography to·pog·ra·phy (tə-pŏg'rə-fē)
n.
The description of the regions of the body or of a body part, especially the regions of a definite and limited area of the surface.

top'o·graph'ic (-grāf'ĭk) or top'o·graph'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.
topography in Science
topography
  (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.