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meteorological satellite

meteorological satellite

4.7
An artificial satellite that watches Earth's weather and sends data
  • noun
  • /ˌmiːtiəroʊˈlɒdʒɪkəl ˈsætəlaɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : satélite meteorológico
  • The government relies on information from meteorological satellites to monitor climate changes.

Examples

  • It appears that Relay I and one of our meteorological satellites were also hit by some sort of antisatellite weapon.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Scientists use data from meteorological satellites to study atmospheric conditions across the globe.

  • Meteorological satellites alerted the meteorological department when the cyclone altered its course and moved northward.

Synonyms

weather satellite
vsmeteorological satellite
  • Specialized
4 3.5

A satellite made by people that takes pictures and information about the Earth's weather

is the more formal technical term rather than the common everyday name

How Advanced

meteorological satellite
  • Specialized
4.7
weather radar
  • Specialized
1 3.2
meteorological balloon
  • Specialized
1 4.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

meteorological + satellite

The meaning is directly compositional: a 'meteorological' (related to weather/atmosphere) 'satellite' is simply a satellite used for weather monitoring, so a learner who knows both words can infer the function. This noun-noun combination follows a common transparent modification pattern found across languages, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Meteorological satellite comes from combining meteorological, which means 'about the weather', and satellite, a machine that goes around the Earth. Picture a machine high above the clouds watching storms and sending data to people on the ground, so the phrase means 'a satellite that watches and sends information about Earth's weather'.