longitude
nounUS /ˈlɑnd͡ʒəˌtud/ · /ˈlɒnd͡ʒɪtʃuːd/
Etymology From Middle English, borrowed from Old French longitude, from Latin longitūdō (“length, a measured length”), from longus (“long”).
1
Geography, Natural sciences Angular distance measured west or east of the prime meridian.
- But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea.2012 March 23, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87:
3
Archaic Length.
- His shoulders are remarkably sloping, giving an appearance of great longitude to his neck.1831, Francis Griffin, “Griffin's Remains”, in The American Quarterly Review, volume 10, page 504:
- The floor consists of a corrugated steel section attached by welding to the body longitudes and cross members.1958 April 23, “Diesel Railbus for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 276:
- Derived terms
- celestial longitude, ecliptic longitude, geolongitude, heliolongitude, lat/lon, longitude clock, longitudinal, palaeolongitude, paleolongitude
- Related terms
- easting, equator, prime meridian