gazetteer

IPA/ˌɡæzəˈtɪə(r)/
IPA/ˌɡæzəˈtɪr/

gazetteer — noun

  • gazetteersingular
  • gazetteersplural

1. a reference work — either bound into an atlas as an appendix or published on its

1.nounC2
Definition

a reference work — either bound into an atlas as an appendix or published on its own — that arranges place names in alphabetical order and gives brief facts for each entry, such as population, map coordinates, or notable features.

Example

Lien checked the gazetteer at the back of the atlas to find the population of her hometown.

common scaffold: check the gazetteer at the back of an atlas

The library keeps a Victorian gazetteer of Scotland on its reference shelf for local-history researchers.

collocation: gazetteer of [region]

Common collocations
  • check / consult the gazetteer
  • gazetteer of [region]
  • at the back of the atlas
  • compile a gazetteer
  • online gazetteer
  • historical / Victorian gazetteer
Synonyms
  • geographical dictionary

    fuller descriptive term; same idea but more transparent for non-specialists

  • place-name index

    narrower — focuses on the listing function without the brief facts

  • atlas index

    the back-of-atlas form specifically; not used as a standalone volume

Grammar Patterns

a gazetteer of [region]

in a gazetteer

Usage Note

Frequently used with 'of + [country/region]' or as a fixed phrase 'at the back of the atlas'. Subject of the surrounding sentence is usually a reader or researcher consulting it, not the gazetteer itself.

Common Mistakes

I bought a gazetteer to read for fun.
I bought a gazetteer to look up Welsh village names.
a gazetteer is a reference work consulted for facts, not read cover-to-cover.

2. a writer or reporter who works for a gazette — that is, an old-style newspaper o

2.nounC2
Definition

a writer or reporter who works for a gazette — that is, an old-style newspaper or official journal — especially one who supplies news items or short notices for publication.

Example

Christopher worked for thirty years as a gazetteer at a small county paper in Yorkshire.

occupation noun: work as a gazetteer at [paper]

Erik, the village gazetteer, filed a short notice about the new bridge opening over the river.

typical action: file a notice / write a short piece

Common collocations
  • work as a gazetteer
  • the local gazetteer
  • train as a gazetteer
Synonyms
  • journalist

    the everyday modern term; far more common in current English

  • reporter

    covers news-gathering specifically; 'gazetteer' is broader and more dated

  • newspaperman

    informal, dated; gender-marked older term for the same role

Grammar Patterns

a gazetteer for [publication]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names a person who writes; sense 1 names a book that lists places. The two share an etymology through 'gazette' but readers should pick the meaning from whether the noun is a thing on a shelf or someone with a job.

Common Mistakes

She works as a gazetteer for a modern online magazine.
She works as a journalist for a modern online magazine.
'gazetteer' for a newsperson is dated and only fits historical or traditional newspaper contexts.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words label tools a reader uses to look up places, but they differ in shape and scope. An 'atlas' is built around maps, with text playing a supporting role; a 'gazetteer' is built around an alphabetical list of place names, with maps (if any) tucked at the front or back. 'Geographical dictionary' is essentially a transparent paraphrase of 'gazetteer' and turns up more often in modern non-specialist writing — librarians often shelve the two together. A 'place-name index' is narrower still: it usually just points the reader to a page or coordinate in another work, without the brief population, history, or feature facts a gazetteer offers. Practical examples: 'I opened the atlas to page 47 to see the route' versus 'I checked the gazetteer for Caio's village population' versus 'the place-name index sent me to grid square H4.'

gazetteer ↗atlas ↗geographical dictionaryplace-name index

Common collocations

Nouns

  • gazetteer entry
  • gazetteer of [country]
  • online gazetteer

Phrases

  • check / consult the gazetteer
  • compile a gazetteer

Prepositions

  • in a gazetteer
  • according to the gazetteer
  • at the back of the atlas

Etymology

ItalianFrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the seventeenth century from French 'gazettier', meaning a journalist who wrote for a gazette — an early news-sheet. The name of the news-sheet itself came from Italian 'gazzetta', the small Venetian coin paid to read or buy one. The geographical-dictionary sense came later: the English writer Laurence Echard published 'The Gazetteer's: or, Newsman's Interpreter' in 1693, a place-name reference aimed at journalists, and over time the book title attached itself to the genre, so 'gazetteer' shifted from the person to the reference work.