oceanography

noun

ocean·​og·​ra·​phy ˌō-shə-ˈnä-grə-fē How to pronounce oceanography (audio)
: a science that deals with the oceans and includes the delimitation of their extent and depth, the physics and chemistry of their waters, marine biology, and the exploitation of their resources
oceanographer noun
oceanographic adjective
or less commonly oceanographical
oceanographically adverb

Examples of oceanography in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hal Whitehead would ask about oceanography, about changes in currents. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024 So far, this winter the sea level is about four inches higher and growing, said Dan Rudnick, a professor of physical oceanography at Scripps. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024 That way of doing oceanography, said Lawrence-Slavas, doesn’t transition very well between groups. Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 21 June 2023 Craig Smith, a professor emeritus of oceanography at the University of Hawaii who has dedicated much of his life to studying whale falls, noted that this finding is particularly groundbreaking in his field. Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024 Davids, a native of San Antonio, graduated from the academy in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in oceanography. Nick Anderson The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 25 Nov. 2023 Galleries of art, oceanography, rocks, and dinosaur bones seem counterintuitive and eccentric, but that’s good. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 This kind of measurement only involves the top centimeter (0.4 inch) of the ocean at most, however, says Nick Shay, a professor or meteorology and physical oceanography at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2023 At the time of the Titan submersible’s final voyage, the company was offering spots on an expedition in New York’s Hudson Canyon to train oceanography researchers. Eli Tan, Washington Post, 23 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oceanography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Ozeanographie, Oceanographie from Ozean, Ocean ocean + -o- -o- + -graphie -graphy (after Geographie geography, Aërographie "meteorology")

Note: The German word was apparently introduced by the German seaman and academic Eduard Bobrik (1802-70) in Handbuch der praktischen Seefahrtskunde, Band 1 (Zürich/Hamburg, 1846), p. 79 ff.

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oceanography was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near oceanography

Cite this Entry

“Oceanography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oceanography. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oceanography

noun
ocean·​og·​ra·​phy ˌō-shə-ˈnäg-rə-fē How to pronounce oceanography (audio)
: a science that deals with the ocean
oceanographer noun
oceanographic adjective
oceanographically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on oceanography

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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