bathymetry

1 of 2

noun

plural bathymetries
: the measurement of water depth at various places in a body of water
also : the information derived from such measurements
1
: relating to the measurement of depths of water in oceans, seas, and lakes
2
: relating to the contour of the bottoms of oceans, seas, and lakes
a bathymetric map
3
: relating to the distribution in depth of marine or lacustrine organisms
bathymetric range

Examples of bathymetry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Other causes could include a rapid change in the bathymetry, or the depth of the water, Sienkiewicz said. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2024 Over the ensuing years, the researchers aim to study the bathymetry—or ocean floor—of the surrounding waters. Avery Schuyler Nunn, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024 Three years later, the CHS put out the first ever nautical chart based on lidar bathymetry. IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2017 Example of seafloor multibeam bathymetry data showing the coral mound features located on the Blake Plateau. Li Cohen, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for bathymetry

Word History

Etymology

Noun

bathymetric "relating to measurement of depth and depth-related distribution of marine organisms" (from bathy- + -metric) + -y entry 2

Adjective

bathymetric International Scientific Vocabulary bathy- + -metric; originally formed as French bathymétrique; bathymetrical from bathy- + metrical

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1855, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bathymetry was circa 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Bathymetry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bathymetry. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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