- an angular distance in degrees north or south of the equator (latitude 0°), equal to the angle subtended at the centre of the globe by the meridian between the equator and the point in question
- (often plural) a region considered with regard to its distance from the equator
See longitude
- scope for freedom of action, thought, etc; freedom from restriction: his parents gave him a great deal of latitude
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
lat•i•tude /ˈlætɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Geography
- the angular distance, measured north or south from the equator, of a point on the earth's surface, expressed in degrees: [uncountable]at twenty degrees latitude.[countable* usually singular]drifting at a latitude of fifteen degrees.
- [plural] a place or region as marked by this distance:at tropical latitudes.
- freedom from narrow restrictions;
freedom of action, opinion, etc.:[uncountable]They allow their children plenty of latitude in choosing friends.
lat•i•tude
(lat′i to̅o̅d′, -tyo̅o̅d′),USA pronunciation n.
- Geography
- the angular distance north or south from the equator of a point on the earth's surface, measured on the meridian of the point.
- a place or region as marked by this distance.
- freedom from narrow restrictions;
freedom of action, opinion, etc.:He allowed his children a fair amount of latitude. - Astronomy
- See celestial latitude.
- See galactic latitude.
- Photographythe ability of an emulsion to record the brightness values of a subject in their true proportion to one another, expressed as the ratio of the amount of brightness in the darkest possible value to the amount of brightness in the brightest:a latitude of 1 to 128.
- Latin lātitūdō breadth, equivalent. to lāt(us) broad + -i- -i- + -tūdō -tude
- Middle English 1350–1400
- 2. extent, liberty, indulgence. See range.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
latitude /ˈlætɪˌtjuːd/ n
'latitude' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Antarctic Circle
- Arctic Circle
- arid zone
- Australian Antarctic Territory
- circle
- climate
- climatic zone
- Coriolis force
- degree
- equator
- forty-ninth parallel
- graticule
- lat.
- latitudinarian
- longitude
- map projection
- nautical mile
- northing
- north of 60
- North Pole
- parallel
- Queen Elizabeth Islands
- sea mile
- South Pole
- sun
- tropic
- Ursa Major
- acceleration of gravity
- alpine tundra
- altitude dial
- Aphrodite Terra
- breadth
- celestial latitude
- colatitude
- Crittenden Compromise
- datum
- determination
- euphotic zone
- Fifty-four-forty or Fight
- galactic coordinates
- galactic latitude
- gnomon
- gyrocompass
- high
- Ket
- L, l
- lat
- latitudinal
- latitudinous
- leeway
