Dictionary for Geography Words

If you need a dictionary for geography words, you could either buy one or find one online. We’ll look at the field of geography and places online to find definitions for geography words.

There are several sources for online geography dictionaries including:

Tuition.com - This dictionary has the definitions for words from human geography, physical geography, and other related fields. There are over 1500 words that were picked to help out students in secondary school studying geography or earth sciences. These are the main words that crop up when studying in the geography discipline.

Geography Dictionary.org - This website has more than one dictionary for geography words. You simply type in a word and click GO!  The site will search several sources for you. Notice in the first example that four dictionaries and one glossary were quoted: 

Type in “erosion” and get the following:

• Physical Geography Dictionary: “The removal of weathered sediment or rocks by the forces of wind, water, and ice.”
• Dictionary of Cartography: “Group of natural processes including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation that remove material from any part of the Earth's surface.”
• Cave and Karst Dictionary: “The wearing away of bedrock or sediment by mechanical and chemical actions of all moving agents such as rivers, wind and glaciers at the surface or in caves.”
• Meteorology and Weather Dictionary: “The movement of soil or rock from one area to another by the action of the sea, running water, moving ice, precipitation, or wind.”
• Glossary of Water Terms: “The process in which a material is worn away by a stream of liquid (water) or air, often due to the presence of abrasive particles in the stream.”  

Geography Dictionaries for Young Students

First School Years.com - If you want a dictionary for young people, this is a great one. The words listed range from simple ones like ocean and hill, to harder ones like conurbation and atmosphere. If you are a teacher, there are some great resources on this site for inclusion in your lesson plans, including charts and puzzles.

Enchanted Learning.com - This dictionary of geographical terms is great for children because it has pictures for many of the words. It has over 50 definitions. The wording of the definitions is geared for the younger student. For example: geyser is defined as “A geyser is a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above the ground.”

Defining Geography

The word “geography” comes from the Greek “geografia,” with “geo” meaning “earth” and “graphia” meaning “description” or “writing.” Geography is writing about or describing the earth.

Geography is the study of the earth, its physical characteristics, and the life on it. It is also the study of the interrelationships between the earth and its life forms. It is usually divided into two sections: physical geography and human geography. Each of these sections can have many subsections.  

Physical geography can cover or be concerned with a variety of topics including:

• Climatology
• Environment
• Glaciology (study of glaciers)
• Ecology of landscapes
• Oceanography
• Paleogeography (study of ancient physical features)
• Pedology (study of soil)

Human geography categories include:

• Cultural
• Development
• Health
• Economic
• Religion
• Social
• Political
• Tourism
• Urban
• Population
• Historical

There are many online resources which can give you the geography information you need quickly and at no cost.