geographical

Pronunciation

• IPA: /d͡ʒiəˈɡɹæfɪkl̩/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Late Latin geōgraphicus and -al,^[2][3] from Ancient Greek γεωγραφικός (geōgraphikós), from γεωγράφος (geōgráphos, “geographer”),^[3] from γῆ (gê, “earth”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to write, draw”) (see geography).^[3][2] The New Oxford also allows French géographique.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to geography: 1559 in the OED, the 1550s in Etymonline, the mid-16th century in the Shorter Oxford.^[4][2][5]

Semantic evolution

Fancifully, resembling a map, it is from 1885.^[4] Geographical latitude is the angle made with the equator by a perpendicular to the earth's surface.^[5] It also means relating to location, as a large geographical area.^[6]

Timeline

• 1559 – geographical.^[4]
• 1885 – resembling a map.^[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Relating to geography.
2. Relating to the location of a place or area: a wide geographical area.

Word family

• geographically
• nongeographical
• ungeographical

Related words

• geography
• geographic
• geology
• geometry

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman