What does "latitude" mean?

1. (geographic distance) the distance of a place north or south of the equator, measured in degrees. 2. (freedom to act) the freedom to choose what you do or how you do something. 3. (photography exposure) the range of light a camera can capture while still making a good picture.

latitude

US //ˈɫætəˌtud// UK //lˈætɪtjˌuːd// lat·i·tude

1 geographic distance (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Science

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.

Example

At this latitude, the sun stays up much longer during the summer months.

Example

The expedition struggled to determine their exact latitude after the primary navigational equipment was damaged during the storm.
- coordinates
- longitude
2 freedom to act (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

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.

Example

The manager gave her the latitude to solve the problem in her own way.

Example

The new legislation provides local authorities with considerable latitude in how they allocate funding for social housing projects.
- restriction
- constraint

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3 photography exposure (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

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.

Example

This type of film has a lot of latitude, so it is easy to use in bright sun.

Example

Modern digital sensors offer significantly more exposure latitude than early models, allowing photographers to recover detail from deep shadows.
- tolerance
- dynamic range

Origin

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.