(ˌ)sərˈvāiŋ, səˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from gerund of surveyen to survey
: the action or occupation of one that surveys ; specifically : a branch of applied mathematics that teaches the art of determining the area of any portion of the earth's surface, the lengths and directions of the bounding lines, and the contour of the surface and of accurately delineating the whole on paper — see geodetic surveying , hydrographic surveying , plane surveying