Cartographical

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the art or practice of drawing maps, this term encompasses both the representation of geographical features and the techniques involved in map-making
2. It pertains to the science and art involved in creating maps, including their design and the depiction of various terrains and landmarks
3. Associated with the creation and interpretation of maps, this concept includes the methods of illustrating physical or political boundaries and the visual communication of spatial information

Etymology: "Cartographical" is simply "cartographic" with the adjectival suffix "-al" added, and the base "cartographic" is itself a compound built from Greek. Its first element comes from "khartes", meaning a papyrus leaf or sheet, and its second from "graphein", "to write" or "to draw". Put together, the Greek sense is close to "sheet-drawing", and the same pattern gives English words like "photograph" and "calligraphy." The base "cartographic" was formed in English from these Greek parts, a technical coinage of the kind scholars built from classical roots when they needed precise terms for new fields. The word was not used in antiquity, since mapmaking as a systematic discipline developed long after the Greek roots were in use. The "-al" ending, which turns a noun or adjective into a related adjective, adds nothing to the meaning beyond a slightly looser, more general sense. The word's meaning has stayed close to its roots: it describes anything connected with the making, reading, or study of maps. Its use is mostly technical, appearing in phrases about map-making methods, cartographical symbols, and the representation of boundaries.

Synonyms: map-related, geographical, topographical