English Explanatory Dictionary

latitude

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The angular distance north or south from a planet's equator, measured along the meridian of that particular point.
  2. An imaginary line (in the form of a circumference) around a planet running parallel to the planet's equator.
  3. The relative freedom from restrictions; scope to do something.
  4. The angular distance of a heavenly body from the ecliptic.
  5. The extent to which a light-sensitive material can be over- or underexposed and still achieve an acceptable result.
  6. Extent or scope; e.g. breadth, width or amplitude.

Pronunciation

/ˈlætɪtjuːd/ /ˈlætɪtʃuːd/ en-GB-latitude.ogg /ˈlætɪtud/ /ˈlætətjud/ en-us-latitude.ogg /ˈlatɪtjʉd/ /ˈlatɪtʃʉd/

Word forms

latitude latitudes

Etymology

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French latitude, from Latin lātitūdō (“breadth, width, latitude”), from lātus (“broad, wide”), from older stlātus. Possibly related with lateral, though this is uncertain.

Synonyms

parallel leeway

Related words

northing zonal

Derived words

ascending latitude circle of latitude colatitude geolatitude heliolatitude high latitude high-latitude horse latitudes interlatitudinal isolatitude lat/lon latitude by account latitudinal low latitude low-latitude middle latitude mid-latitude midlatitude palaeolatitude paleolatitude
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