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
[s]longitud.jpg[/s] [
longitude 2a: hemisphere marked with meridians of longitude
]