Main Entry:

az·i·muth

Pronunciation:

\ˈaz-məth, ˈa-zə-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Medieval Latin azimut, from Arabic al-sumūt the azimuth, plural of al-samt the way

Date:

14th century

1 : an arc of the horizon measured between a fixed point (as true north) and the vertical circle passing through the center of an object usually in astronomy and navigation clockwise from the north point through 360 degrees 2 : horizontal direction expressed as the angular distance between the direction of a fixed point (as the observer's heading) and the direction of the object

— az·i·muth·al \ˌa-zə-ˈmə-thəl\ adjective

— az·i·muth·al·ly \-ˈmə-thə-lē\ adverb

[azimuth illustration]