meteorology

UK/ˌmiːtɪəˈɹɒləd͡ʒi/US/ˌmiːti.əˈɹɑləd͡ʒi/

nounC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #13,721 of 15,258mostly written

Meteorology is the scientific study of the weather. A degree in meteorology.

It has nothing to do with meteors, since the Greek word meant anything high in the air. Meteorology became reliable only when computers could solve the equations fast enough.

Definitions of meteorology

1nounmeteorologyThe scientific study of the weather.C2
“Meteorology gave three days of warning that saved the harvest.”

meteorology is a science.

Where it comes from

Greek meteorologia comes from meteora, things high in the air, plus logia, study.

Ancient Greek
μετεωρολογία
English, today
meteorology

Built from

μετέωρα · Ancient Greek — celestial phenomena
μετέωρος · Ancient Greek — high in the sky
-λογία · Ancient Greek — study of

Ancient Greek μετεωρολογία, from μετέωρα (“celestial phenomena”), nominalized from the neuter plural of μετέωρος (“high in the sky”), + -λογία (“study of”). by surface analysis, meteor + -ology. 1563.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

meteorology in the wild

Marine weather forecasting relates meteorology to maritime and coastal safety, based on atmospheric interactions with large bodies of water.
Meteorology
In meteorology, an inversion (or temperature inversion) is a phenomenon in which a layer of warmer air overlies cooler air.
Inversion (meteorology)
In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area, or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations.
Low-pressure area
In meteorology, the synoptic scale (also called the large scale or cyclonic scale) is a horizontal length scale of the order of 1,000 km or more.
Synoptic scale meteorology
In meteorology, an updraft (British English: up-draught) is a small-scale current of rising air, often within a cloud.
Vertical draft

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

meteor

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