geography
- 01 A1 Beginner
the study of the world's surface, climate, and how people live in different places.
the scientific study of the Earth's physical features, atmosphere, and the distribution of human populations and resources.
Simple“In geography class today, we learned about the major rivers in South America.”
In context“The university's geography department focuses on the intersection of urban development and environmental sustainability in coastal regions.”
Synonymsearth sciencetopography - 02 B1 Intermediate
the physical features of a specific area of land.
the physical characteristics and topographical features of a specific region or territory.
Simple“The rough geography of the mountains made it difficult to build new roads.”
In context“The local geography, dominated by steep limestone cliffs and deep valleys, provided a natural defense against invading forces for centuries.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the way a building or room is organized.
the physical arrangement or spatial distribution of elements within a specific structure or area.
Simple“It took me a few days to learn the geography of the new office building.”
In context“Once you understand the geography of the warehouse, finding specific inventory items becomes a much more efficient process.”
Synonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
a specific area or region where a company does business.
a geographical area defined as a specific field of business operations or a market sector.
Simple“Our sales team is responsible for the northern geography of the country.”
In context“The firm decided to expand into the Asian geography after seeing significant growth in consumer demand across the Pacific Rim.”
Usage geography homogeneous · human geography
Etymology tree Pre-Greek der. Proto-Hellenic *gayader. Ancient Greek γαῖᾰ (gaîă)clip. Ancient Greek γῆ (gê) Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-) Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-) Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- Proto-Hellenic *grə́pʰō Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō) Ancient Greek -γρᾰ́φος (-grắphos) Ancient Greek γεωγρᾰ́φος (geōgrắphos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) ▲ Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-) ▲ Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek γραφή (graphḗ) Ancient Greek -γρᾰφῐ́ᾱ (-grăphĭ́ā) Ancient Greek γεωγρᾰφῐ́ᾱ (geōgrăphĭ́ā)bor. Latin geōgraphia Middle French géographie English geography From Middle French géographie, from Latin geōgraphia, from Ancient Greek γεωγραφία (geōgraphía, “a description of the earth”), from γῆ (gê, “earth”) + γράφω (gráphō, “write”). Use in reference to lavatories derives from the mid-20th century euphemism "show one the geography of the house" in reference to pointing out the toilets.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.