HEIGHT


Meaning of HEIGHT in English

I. noun

also hight ˈhīt, usu -īd.+V also -ītth sometimes -īth

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English heighthe, heighte, heghte, heyeth, from Old English hīehthu, hēhthu; akin to Old High German hōhida height, Old Norse hæth, Gothic hauhitha; derivatives from the root of English high (I)

1.

a. : the highest part of something material

finally reached the height of the mountain

: uppermost section or area or region : top part : summit , apex , pinnacle

plunged down from the height of the tower

b. : the highest point of something not material

at the height of fame

: most advanced point : zenith

the height of culture

: most extreme degree

the height of stupidity

: fullest possible degree

at the height of success

: culmination

the height of all their desires

the height of passion

: most active or intense part : climax

the height of an argument

at the very height of the storm

2.

a.

(1) : the distance extending from the bottom to the top of something standing upright

measured the height of the building

or from the bottom to an arbitrarily chosen upper point

the tree has a height of five feet at its first branch

(2) : the distance extending from the lowest point to the highest point of an animal body especially of a human being in a natural standing position

a man who is six feet in height

or from the lowest point to an arbitrarily chosen upper point

a dog two feet in height at the shoulder

: stature

b.

(1) : the extent of elevation above a level

the land reaches a height of 600 feet above sea level

: distance extending upwards : altitude

impossible to know the exact height reached by the rocket

(2) : the degree of approximation of the tongue to the palate in pronouncing a vowel

3. : the quality of possessing sufficient or considerable or relatively great highness or stature or altitude

a triumphal arch that would have been more impressive if it had had more height

4.

a. : an extent of land (as a hill, mountain, or plateau) rising to a considerable degree above the surrounding country : a lofty eminence

b. : a high place or point or position

the heights and depths of love

5.

a. obsolete : an advanced degree of distinction (as in rank) : notable excellence : superiority

exceeded by the height of happier men — Shakespeare

b.

(1) obsolete : haughtiness

(2) archaic : loftiness of mind or spirit

with something of the old Roman height about him — Charles Lamb

6. obsolete

a. : degree of geographical latitude

b. : position (as of a ship) off a coast

II. transitive verb

also hight ˈhīt, ˈhiḵt

( -ed/-ing/-s )

dialect : heighten

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