longitude

[ lon-ji-tood, -tyood ]

noun

1. Geography. angular distance east or west on the earth's surface, measured by the angle contained between the meridian of a particular place and some prime meridian, as that of Greenwich, England, and expressed either in degrees or by some corresponding difference in time.
2. Astronomy.
   1. celestial longitude.
   2. galactic longitude.

longitude

/ ˈlɒndʒɪˌtjuːd; ˈlɒŋɡ- /

noun

1. distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian at 0° measured by the angle between the plane of the prime meridian and that of the meridian through the point in question, or by the corresponding time difference See latitude
2. astronomy short for celestial longitude

longitude

/ lŏn′jĭ-to̅o̅d′ /

1. A measure of relative position east or west on the Earth's surface, given in degrees from a certain meridian, usually the prime meridian at Greenwich, England, which has a longitude of 0°. The distance of a degree of longitude is about 69 statute miles or 60 nautical miles (111 km) at the equator, decreasing to zero at the poles. Longitude and latitude are the coordinates used to identify any point on the Earth's surface.
2. Compare latitude
3. Celestial longitude.

longitude

1. A measurement, in degrees , of a place's distance east or west of the prime meridian , which runs through Greenwich , England . ( Compare latitude .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of longitude¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin longitūdō length. See longi-, -tude

Word History and Origins

Origin of longitude¹

C14: from Latin longitūdō length, from longus long ¹

Example Sentences

At 105 degrees West longitude, an active satellite might see a piece of junk come within 50km of its position up to four times a day.

From BBC

Using this data, researchers applied the kriging method, a well-known statistical technique, to make predictions of soil-bearing layer thickness and depth based on geographic coordinates such as latitude and longitude.

From Science Daily

It also includes a timestamp, latitude, longitude, altitude, course over ground and the number of communicating satellites.

From Science Daily

But it is “rarely an issue,” he said, because 911 calls show the latitude and longitude of the caller, and dispatchers use Rapid Deploy, which pings cellphone locations.

From Los Angeles Times

The history of navigational advancements hinges on the portability of accurate timepieces -- from determining longitude at sea in the 16th Century to ensuring the accurate navigation of space missions and achieving better geo-localization today.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• apartment
• area
• berth
• city
• community
• corner
• country
• district
• field
• hole
• home
• house
• neighborhood
• part
• point
• position
• region
• residence
• room
• seat