meridian

See also Meridian

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin meridianus (“of or belonging to midday or to the south, southern”), from meridies (“midday, the south”), originally *medidies, from medius (“middle”) + diēs (“day”).

Noun

meridian (plural meridians)

1. An imaginary great circle on the Earth's surface, passing through the geographic poles.
2. Either half of such a great circle, all points of which have the same longitude.
3. (astronomy) A great circle passing through the poles of the celestial sphere and the zenith for a particular observer.
4. (mathematics) A similar line on any general surface of revolution.
5. (alternative medicine) Any of the longitudinal pathways on the body along which acupoints are thought to be distributed.
6. The highest point or state of consciousness and enlightenment achievable by a human.

Translations

imaginary great circle on the Earth's surface

Czech: poledník (cs) m. German: Meridian (de) m. Greek: μεσημβρινός (el) (mesimvrinós) m. Italian: meridiana (it) f.

Japanese: 子午線 (ja) (しごせん, shigosen) Scottish Gaelic: domhan-loidhne (gd) f. Serbian: podnevak m. Spanish: meridiano (es) m.

alternative medicine

Japanese: 経絡系 (ja) (けいらくけい, keirakukei)

Adjective

meridian

1. Meridional; relating to a meridian.
2. Relating to noon

External links

• meridian in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• meridian in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• meridian at OneLook Dictionary Search