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Up until the 18th century, maps were often decorated with fanciful beasts and monsters, at the expense of accurate details about places. French mapmakers of the 1700s and 1800s encouraged the use of more scientific methods in the art they called cartographie. The French word cartographie (the science of making maps), from which we get our English word cartography, was created from carte, meaning "map," and -graphie, meaning "representation by." Around the same time we adopted cartography in the mid-19th century, we also created our word for a mapmaker, cartographer.
Examples of cartographer in a Sentence
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
The restaurant is inspired by Benjamin Banneker, a descendant of the Dogon tribe in Mali and a Black cartographer and writer who helped survey the city in the late 18th century.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 28 Mar. 2024
This quiet luxury can be seen in the soft leathers and luxe marble, that ranges from the floaty Himalayan-salt pink marble that frames the entrance to swirling greens and blacks reminiscent of a vintage cartographer’s map on every surface in Riviera.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024
After appointing cartographers, the United Nations declared the Shebaa Farms Syrian territory captured by Israel in 1967.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024
Books chronicling Sheldon’s aerial heroics and his years mapping the Alaska Range with cartographer Bradford Washburn line the shelves of the living room; the open kitchen is stocked with snacks including pickled spruce tips and Alaskan-salmon jerky.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2024
An estimated 31 million Americans already live on the path, which doesn't even account for the countless tourists sure to flock to major cities sure to experience the eclipse, according to eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler at GreatAmericanEclipse.com.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024
Hundreds of cities and smaller towns in 13 states across the country lie along the path, providing a glimpse of a spectacular sight not often seen, according to eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler at GreatAmericanEclipse.com, USA TODAY previously reported.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024
Maps of Europe on view nearby suggest not so much a physical entity as varying ideas, over time, of what Europe should be or could be, including one designed in the 12th century by an Arab cartographer in which Mecca is a central focus point.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cartographer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
circa 1847, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Cartographer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartographer. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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cartographer
noun
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