Longitude

Longitude

Noun · /ˈlɒŋ.ɡɪ.tjuːd/

Definition

The angular distance of a place east or west of the prime meridian at Greenwich, measured in degrees from 0° to 180° east or west; one of the two coordinates used to define any position on the Earth's surface.

Origin

From Latin longitudo (length, extent), from longus (long). The geographical sense developed because longitude measures the length of the arc along a parallel of latitude from the prime meridian. The word entered English in the 15th century. The problem of determining longitude at sea was one of the most important scientific and navigational challenges of the Age of Sail.