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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This year's fellows encompass a wide range of disciplines, including poetry, arts, sciences, sociology and oceanography. Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2024 The first-ever facility, equipped with open water testing is set to begin operations off a seaside Oregon town next summer, Burke Hales, a professor of oceanography at Oregon State University who has involved in the launch, told ABC News. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Dec. 2024 The Skyway Bridge disaster in Tampa prompted a paradigm shift in design in the early 1980s, said Mark Luther, a University of South Florida oceanography professor and director of the USF Center for Maritime and Port Studies. Ben Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2024 Before August's discovery, scientists had only recorded 19 oarfish that had washed up on the California coast since 1901, the oceanography researchers said. James Doubek, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for oceanography 

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 15 Jan. 2025.

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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