Word
longitude
Phoneticslon·gi·tude, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɫɑndʒəˌtud/
UK/lˈɒndʒɪtjˌuːd/
Definitions
01geographic coordinate
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Science Technical
n. the distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees.
n. the angular distance of a place east or west of the meridian at Greenwich, England, or west of the standard meridian of a celestial object.
“The captain checked the ship's longitude to see how far they had traveled across the ocean.”
“Determining precise longitude at sea remained a significant challenge for navigators until the invention of the marine chronometer in the eighteenth century.”
Usage
Usually paired with latitude to provide a specific location.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02imaginary line
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Science Technical
n. an imaginary line on a map that goes from the top of the Earth to the bottom.
n. any of the imaginary great circles passing through the North and South Poles, perpendicular to the equator.
“Lines of longitude are closer together near the poles than they are at the equator.”
“The cartographer drew the lines of longitude at fifteen-degree intervals to represent the different time zones across the globe.”
Synonyms
03length
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Archaic
n. an old word for the length of something.
n. the linear extent or length of an object along its greatest dimension.
“The old scrolls described the longitude of the temple walls in ancient units.”
“In the seventeenth-century manuscript, the architect specified the longitude of the gallery as being twice its breadth.”
Real-World Examples
“So when GPS was introduced in 1984, the true location of longitude 0º was revealed—but the marker at Greenwich wasn’t changed.” “Its surface describes an imaginary fragment of the globe, marked with lines of longitude and latitude and the names of hundreds of places.” “Now consider the earth’s graticule, the network of lines of latitude and longitude covering the earth.” “The location was exactly on the same latitude (the longitude, however, was one mile further east) as indicated in the map of India in 1876, when the Great Hedge was first documented.” Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Old French longitude, from Latin longitūdō (“length, a measured length”), from longus (“long”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/longitude