topography

noun, plural to·pog·ra·phies.

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.

noun plural -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

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).

n.

1. 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.

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.