longitudinal

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adjective lon·gi·tu·di·nal \ˌlän-jə-ˈtüd-nəl, -ˈtyüd-, -ˈt(y)ü-d^ən-əl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-\

Definition of longitudinal

1 : placed or running lengthwise The insect's back is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.
2 : of or relating to length or the lengthwise dimension the longitudinal extent of the building
3 : involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables a longitudinal study of juvenile offenders over a period of five years

longitudinally

adverb

See longitudinal defined for English-language learners

See longitudinal defined for kids

Examples of longitudinal in a Sentence

The insect's body is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.
calculating the longitudinal position of a ship
a longitudinal study of career aspirations among girls from 5 to 17

Recent Examples of longitudinal from the Web

Longitudinal studies suggest that most people will have smell loss five to seven years before both motor problems and the diagnosis.

— sandy bauers, Philly.com, "Health Q&A: What it may mean when you can't smell that smell," 7 July 2017
Though NCT 127's base is Seoul -- the 127 represents Seoul's longitudinal coordinate -- the unit has enraptured American K-pop fans without so much as a concert in the States thanks to their Western-leaning sounds.

— monique melendez, Billboard, "NCT 127 Discuss the Group's Unique Concept, Breaking Into U.S. & More," 30 June 2017
Obvious disclaimer: Conor McGregor is not a speed bag and is thus capable of movement, both lateral and longitudinal.

— jon tayler, SI.com, "Watch: Oh my God, Floyd Mayweather is going to kill Conor McGregor, isn't he?," 29 June 2017
Meant to maximize space and replace the 2600 series rolled out in the 80s, the newfangled 5000 series mimicked New York's MTA setup with longitudinal seating and wider aisles for standing.

— kevin warwick, Chicago Reader, "The small victory of the single seat on the el train," 22 June 2017
The Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal project sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, suggests that more than a quarter of Americans are lonely, a percentage that has increased by three to seven points over the past two decades.

— eoin o'carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, "Understanding why loneliness exists can help ease it, say scientists," 15 June 2017
The Danes and the Dutch have a similar problem, despite sharing neither longitudinal nor nominal similarities.

— leo mirani, The New Yorker, "Telling Slovenia and Slovakia Apart," 29 May 2017
Longitudinal studies that followed thousands of men in Sweden, the U.K., and Brazil all point to this biological anomaly.

— barbara bradley hagerty, The Atlantic, "When Your Child Is a Psychopath," 16 May 2017
Foa told me he does believe there is data to support a longitudinal shift, but acknowledged that Noonan’s graph is not it.

— david zweig, New Republic, "David Brooks and the Tyranny of Data," 16 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'longitudinal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of longitudinal

15th century

LONGITUDINAL Defined for English Language Learners

longitudinal

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adjective

Definition of longitudinal for English Language Learners

: placed or going along the long side of something
: of or relating to longitude
: done by observing or examining a group of people or things over time to study how one or two particular things about them change

LONGITUDINAL Defined for Kids

longitudinal

play

adjective lon·gi·tu·di·nal \ˌlän-jə-ˈtü-d^ən-əl, -ˈtyü-\

Definition of longitudinal for Students

: placed or running lengthwise longitudinal stripes

longitudinally

adverb

Medical Dictionary

longitudinal

play play

adjective lon·gi·tu·di·nal \ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-^ən-əl, -nəl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-ˈtyüd-\

Medical Definition of longitudinal

1: of, relating to, or occurring in the lengthwise dimension a longitudinal bone fracture
2: extending along or relating to the anteroposterior axis of a body or part a trypanosome which reproduces by longitudinal fission
3: involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables (as general health, the state of a disease, or mortality) a longitudinal study of heart transplant recipients over a five-year period