: angular distance measured on a great circle of reference from the intersection of the adopted zero meridian with this reference circle to the similar intersection of the meridian passing through the object
b
: the arc or portion of the earth's equator intersected between the meridian of a given place and the prime meridian and expressed either in degrees or in time
2
archaic: long duration
Illustration of longitude
hemisphere marked with meridians of longitude
Did you know?
The imaginary (but very important) lines of longitude run from the North Pole to the South Pole. Each is identified by the number of degrees it lies east or west of the so-called prime meridian in Greenwich, England (part of London). A circle is divided into 360°; so, for example, the longitude of the Egyptian city of Cairo is about 31°E—that is, about 31° east of London. The "long" sense of the root may be easier to see in some uses of the adjective longitudinal: A longitudinal study is a research study that follows its subjects over many long years, and a longitudinal engine is one that drives a crankshaft that runs lengthwise under a vehicle (as in rear-wheel-drive cars) rather than crosswise.
Examples of longitude in a Sentence
a map of the world showing lines of latitude and longitude
calculating the longitudes of different places
The regions are on roughly the same longitude.
Recent Examples on the WebThat’s because relatively cool waters, an abundance of Saharan dust or dry air all tend to limit early-season storm activity anywhere east of the longitude of places such as the Bahamas, Cuba and Jamaica, Klotzbach said.—Scott Dance, Washington Post, 2 July 2024 Southern comfort food blended with tastes of other longitudes and latitudes summarizes the UBK menu: gumbo to salmon, surf 'n' turf pasta to honey garlic pork chops, and gumbo worthy to stand with anything from south Louisiana.—Usa Today Network, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024 Call logs accessed by the Journal Sentinel include the exact latitude and longitude of Waldref's call, placing her at the northwest corner of the intersection.—Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2024 Athletes can enjoy advanced metrics and views and outdoorsmen can take advantage of the Compass app stats (like elevation, incline, longitude, latitude).—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 4 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for longitude
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'longitude.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin longitudin-, longitudo, from longus
Share