Latitude
/ˈlætɪtjuːd/noun
The angular distance of a place north or south of the equator, or broadness in extent or scope.
Did you know?Latitude comes from Latin *latitūdō*, meaning “breadth” or “width,” from *latus* (“broad, wide”), so its original power was not mystical but spatial: the ability to measure how “wide” a place sits on Earth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*plat-
“to spread, make broad”
Latin
Latin
latus
“broad, wide”
Latin
Latin
latitūdō
“breadth, width, extent”
Late Latin
Latin
latitudo
“breadth; distance north or south of the equator (in astronomical/geographical usage)”
14th Century
English
latitude
“breadth; extent; later, angular distance north or south of the equator”