meteorology

noun

me·​te·​o·​rol·​o·​gy ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈrä-lə-jē 

1

: a science that deals with the atmosphere and its phenomena and especially with weather and weather forecasting

studied the principles of meteorology

2

: the atmospheric phenomena and weather of a region

the meteorology of the Gulf of Mexico

meteorologic

ˌmē-tē-ə-rə-ˈlä-jik 

adjective

or meteorological

ˌmē-tē-ə-rə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

meteorologically

ˌmē-tē-ə-rə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

meteorologist

ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈrä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of meteorology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The cause of the shift is difficult to pinpoint, says Tim Coleman, director of forensic meteorology at WeatherBell Analytics and lead author of a study on shifts in tornado activity published in June in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. —Danish Bajwa, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2024

The almanac explains that its forecasts draw on various academic fields, including solar science, climatology and meteorology. —Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 20 Sep. 2024

There is ongoing research at the interface of meteorology and social sciences to answer such questions. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024

Predicting Storms and Cruising Safety Advancements in meteorology have improved the capability to predict storms, enhancing cruising safety during hurricane season. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French or Greek; French météorologie, from Middle French, from Greek meteōrologia, from meteōron + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

meteorology

noun

me·​te·​o·​rol·​o·​gy ˌmēt-ē-ə-ˈräl-ə-jē 

: a science that deals with the atmosphere, weather, and weather forecasting

meteorologic

ˌmēt-ē-ə-rə-ˈläj-ik 

adjective

or meteorological

-ˈläj-i-kəl 

meteorologist

-ˈräl-ə-jəst 

noun