[ad. late L. topographia (in Servius and Jerome), ad. Gr. τοπογραφία, f. τοπογράφ-ος (see TOPOGRAPHER) + -ία, -Y, Cf. F. topographie (16th c.).]
1. The science or practice of describing a particular place, city, town, manor, parish, or tract of land; the accurate and detailed delineation and description of any locality.
1549. Compl. Scot., vi. 46. Al them that hes studeit in cosmographie, geographie, and in topographie.
1570–6. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent (1826), 474. We might at the last by the union of many partes and papers compact one whole and perfect bodie and booke of our English Topographie.
1621. Heylin, Microcosmus, Introd. 10. Topographie which is the description of a particular place, be it Towne, Citie or Village.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., II. vii. 75. Acquainted with Cosmography, treating of the world in whole joynts; with Chorography, shredding it into countries; and with Topography, mincing it into particular places.
a. 1646. J. Gregory, Maps & Charts, Posth. (1650), 323. The late Geographers … call these kind of Descriptions (of small Parcels of the Earth …) Topographie.
1864. Burton, Scot Abr., 1. iv. 164, note. He … explains how lifeless all history is without topography.
b. A detailed description or delineation of the features of a locality.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls) I. 329. Irlonde … whom Giraldus describenge in his Topographye, extollethe hit with mony laudes.
1586. J. Hooker, Hist. Irel., Pref. A iv b, in Holinshed. In our Topographie we haue at large set foorth and described the site of the land of Ireland.
1659. R. Kilburne (title), A Topographie, or Survey of the County of Kent.
1665–6. Phil. Trans., I. 121. A Map of the Moon … with a Topography as it were … of all the considerable places therein.
c. Localization, local distribution; the study of this.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Hydriot., ii. (1736), 31. If according to Learned Conjecture, the Bodies of Men shall rise where their greatest Relics remaine, many are not like to err in the Topography of their Resurrection. Ibid. (1658), Gard. Cyrus, i. Of deeper doubt is its Topography, and locall designation.
1835. Ure, Phil. Manuf., iii. 67. The topography of the textile manufactures is a most interesting subject of philosophical research. It investigates the causes why one district is occupied chiefly with cotton fabrics, a second with flax, a third with wool, and a fourth with silk.
2. The features of a region or locality collectively.
1847. Lytton, Lucretia, II. xxvi. Towards that [staircase] used by the servants, and which his researches into the topography of the mansion had … made known to him.
1858. Gladstone, Homer, III. 519. [Virgil] is not less neglectful of the actual topography; for he implies that Ilium is among the hills.
1873. G. C. Davies, Mount. & Mere, xxv. 224. The water is often very clear, and the frost has cut the weeds down so that one learns the topography of the river bed and the exact locale of the ‘homes’ of the fish.
fig. 1642. Milton, Apol. Smect., Wks. 1851, III. 262. Having rambl’d over the huge topography of his own vain thoughts.
1764. Reid, Inquiry, vi. § 11. 155. I confess I am not so well acquainted with the topography of the mind.
3. transf. a. Anat. The determination of the position of the various parts and organs of the body; regional anatomy. b. Zool. The determination and naming of the different regions or parts of the surface of an animal.
1847. Lewes, Hist. Philos. (1867), II. vi. 408. The organs are definitely indicated both as to position and size, by the topography of the skull.
1891. Cent. Dict., s.v., The topography of a bird, a crab, an insect.
