rhizoverbBeta
DictionarylongitudinalGeographic east–west position
adjective

longitudinal

Relating to a location's position east or west of a reference meridian.

The map shows each city's longitudinal position in degrees.

Etymology
longitudinLatinlength
+alEnglishrelating to

Longitude comes from the Latin word for length and became the geographical measure running east and west. Longitudinal describes position or measurement along that dimension.

More examples

  • The two towns share a latitude but have different longitudinal coordinates.
  • A longitudinal difference of fifteen degrees corresponds to one hour of solar time.
  • The prime meridian provides the reference for longitudinal measurements.

Forms

longitude noun — East–west angular distance from a reference meridian.