ANTIPODE


Meaning of ANTIPODE in English

ˈantəˌpōd noun

( plural an·tip·o·des an.tipəˌdēz sometimes ˈantəˌpōdz by those aware that there is a singular “antipode” )

Etymology: back-formation from antipodes, plural, from Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from plural of antipod-, antipous with the feet opposite, from anti- anti- (I) + pod-, pous foot — more at foot

1. antipodes plural , archaic

a. : persons dwelling at a directly opposite point on the globe of the earth

b. : those who are felt in some way to resemble such persons

2. antipodes plural , sometimes capitalized : the parts of the earth diametrically opposite — often used of Australia, New Zealand, and contiguous areas

the churches of the antipodes — Christian Century

— sometimes used in sing.

the South Pole is the antipode of the North Pole — Irving Fisher & O.M.Miller

3. : the exact opposite or contrary

virtue is the antipode of self-love — G.P.Fisher

— often used in plural

the very antipodes of scholarly humanism — A.L.Guérard

4. : a chemical compound having an exactly opposite configuration of its atoms in space — compare enantiomorph 2

5. antipodes plural : antipodal points

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.