Saussure, Horace Bénédict de

Saussure, Horace Bénédict de də sōsürˈ [key], 1740–99, Swiss physicist and geologist. He was professor at the Univ. of Geneva from 1762 to 1786. He is famous for his studies of the geology, meteorology, and botany of the mountainous regions of Europe, particularly the Alps. These are described in his great work, Voyages dans les Alpes (4 vol., 1779–96).

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