< Back
latitude
Definition
Latitude is a measure of how far north or south a place is from the equator. The equator is an imaginary line that goes around the middle of the Earth. Latitude is measured in degrees.
Places that are near the equator have a low latitude. Places that are near the poles have a high latitude.
How can the word be used?
The captain had a lot of latitude in how he ran the ship.
Different forms of the word
Noun: Latitude is a measure of the distance north or south of the Earth's equator. It is measured in degrees.
Adjective: Latitude is an adjective that describes something that is related to latitude. For example, a latitude line is a line of latitude.
Verb: To latitude is to measure the latitude of something. For example, to latitude, a ship is to measure its latitude using a sextant.
Etymology
The word "latitude" comes from the Latin word "latitudo", which means "breadth". It was first used in English in the 14th century.
The Latin word "latitudo" is made up of two parts:
"latus", which means "broad".
"-tudo", which is a suffix that means "state or condition of".
Question
What is latitude measured in?