geographic
/ˌdʒiː.əˈɡræf.ɪk/
adjective
Origin
Ancient Greek
geographia — description of the earth
Overview
Meaning Now
- Relating to geography or the natural features, population, and industries of a region.
- Based on or determined by physical features of an area.
Literal older meaning
pertaining to the description of the earth
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
geographical
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term originates from the work of Eratosthenes, who is credited with coining the term 'geographia' to describe the practice of mapping and describing the world. It evolved through Latin into various European languages, eventually appearing in English as a noun, with the adjective forms appearing in the 17th century.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
γεωγραφία
“description of the earth”
- Latin
geographia
“the study of the earth”
- 16th century English
geography
“the science of the earth”
- 17th century English
geographical
“relating to geography”
- Modern English
geographic
“relating to geography”
Variant of geographical
Connections
Word parts
geo-
prefix
earth
-graph-
root
to write or describe
-ic
suffix
pertaining to
Related across languages
French
géographique
geographic
German
geografisch
geographic
Explore next
Related to geographic
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.