gazetteer

[ gaz-i-teer ]

noun

1. a geographical dictionary.
2. Archaic. a journalist, especially one appointed and paid by the government.

gazetteer

/ ˌɡæzɪˈtɪə /

noun

1. a book or section of a book that lists and describes places gaz
2. archaic.
   a writer for a gazette or newspaper; journalist

Word History and Origins

Origin of gazetteer¹

First recorded in 1605–15; gazette + -eer

Example Sentences

In 2008, drinks historians Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller discovered a 1798 printing of the word in London's The Morning Post And Gazetteer.

From Salon

"If you look at the existing names in the Antarctic Gazetteer, they are a shorthand for the history of exploration and scientific endeavour. This latest group of names will add to that history. And when future generations look back, they'll understand what the science priorities, and operational focus, were at the time," he told BBC News.

From BBC

I have a gazetteer in the car, and when that fails, I ask people for directions.

From Seattle Times

He needed eye surgery; during his recovery, he spent nearly a hundred hours poring, one-eyed, over his DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, which contains a detailed topography of the back roads of northern Arkansas.

From The New Yorker

On the seat beside her was the “California Atlas and Gazetteer” and a blue binder she had prepared for the trip, labelled “Capes of California.”

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• archive
• catalog
• directory
• inventory
• prospectus