latitude
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the distance of a place north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.
the angular distance of a place north or south of the earth's equator, usually expressed in degrees and minutes.
Simple“At this latitude, the sun stays up much longer during the summer months.”
In context“The expedition struggled to determine their exact latitude after the primary navigational equipment was damaged during the storm.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the freedom to choose what you do or how you do something.
the scope or freedom of action or thought; the degree of liberty allowed within a specific framework.
Simple“The manager gave her the latitude to solve the problem in her own way.”
In context“The new legislation provides local authorities with considerable latitude in how they allocate funding for social housing projects.”
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
the range of light a camera can capture while still making a good picture.
the extent to which a light-sensitive material or sensor can be over- or underexposed while still producing an acceptable image.
Simple“This type of film has a lot of latitude, so it is easy to use in bright sun.”
In context“Modern digital sensors offer significantly more exposure latitude than early models, allowing photographers to recover detail from deep shadows.”
Synonyms
“Bird communities at more extreme latitudes, where seasonal temperatures vary more sharply, tend to include species that evolve faster than those living closer to the equator.”
“The AMOC includes the Gulf Stream and helps explain why Britain and north-west Europe are milder than their latitude would suggest.”
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French latitude, from Latin lātitūdō (“breadth, width, latitude”), from lātus (“broad, wide”), from older stlātus. Possibly related with lateral, though this is uncertain.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.