| 释义 |
lon·gi·tude
\ˈlänjəˌtüd, -ə.ˌtyüd\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin longitudo, from longi- + -tudo -tude
1.
a. : measure or distance along the longest line : length
b. archaic : long duration
2.
a. : 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 — used especially in astronomy and geodesy; see celestial longitude, galactic longitude
b. : the arc or portion of the earth's equator intersected between the meridian of a given place and the prime meridian (as from Greenwich, England) or sometimes from the capital of a country (as from Washington or Paris) and expressed either in degrees or in time, the length of a degree varying as the cosine of the latitude so that it is 69.65 statute miles at the equator and 53.43 miles at 40 degrees latitude
< the longitude of New York is 74 degrees or 4 hours 56 minutes west of Greenwich >
 [longitude 2a: hemisphere marked with meridians of longitude] |