[
jee-od-uh-see] 
| the branch of applied mathematics that deals with the measurement of the shape and area of large tracts of country, the exact position of geographical points, and the curvature, shape, and dimensions of the earth. |
| ge·od·e·sy (jē-ŏd'ĭ-sē) n. The geologic science of the size and shape of the earth. [New Latin geōdaesia, from Greek geōdaisiā : geō-, geo- + daiesthai, to divide; see dā- in Indo-European roots.] ge·od'e·sist n. |
| geodesy (jē-ŏd'ĭ-sē) Pronunciation Key
The scientific study of the size and shape of the Earth, its field of gravity, and such varying phenomena as the motion of the magnetic poles and the tides. geodetic adjective |
