longitudinal

English

Etymology

From Middle English longitudinal, from Latin longitūdin-, oblique stem of longitūdō (“length, longitude”), equivalent to longitude +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌlɒŋɡɪˈtjuːdɪnl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌlɑnd͡ʒəˈtuːdənəl/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /lɔŋɡəˈt͡ʃʉːdənəl/

Adjective

longitudinal (not comparable)

1. Relating to length, or to longitude.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

   Antonym: transverse

2. Running in the direction of the long axis of a body.
   • 1960 November, “New electric multiple-units for British Railways: Glasgow Suburban”, in Trains Illustrated, page 660:

     The units have transverse seats, two and three astride the passageway with single or double longitudinal seats alongside the two entrance vestibules in each car.

   • 2008, Youlian Hong; Roger Bartlett, editors, Routledge Handbook of Biomechanics and Human Movement Science, Routledge, →ISBN, page 165:

     The third rotation is about the longitudinal axis of the thigh.

   • 2023 February 22, Paul Stephen, “TfL reveals first of new B23s for Docklands Light Railway”, in RAIL, number 977, page 12:

     Unlike the older trains, the new units have walk-through carriages and longitudinal rather than transverse seating.

3. Forward and/or backward, relative to some defined direction.
4. (sciences and social sciences, of a study) Sampling data over time rather than merely once.

   Antonym: cross-sectional

   longitudinal studies

   • 2010 March 1, Don Peck, “How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     Examining national longitudinal data, Mossakowski has found that people who were unemployed for long periods in their teens or early 20s are far more likely to develop a habit of heavy drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) by the time they approach middle age.

Derived terms

• longitudinal aberration
• longitudinal recording
• longitudinal wave
• longitudinally
• nonlongitudinal
• paleolongitudinal
• pseudolongitudinal

 

Translations

relating to length, or to longitude

• German: longitudinal (de)
• Japanese: 経度の (ja) (keido no)
• Romanian: longitudinal (ro)
• Russian: долго́тный (ru) m (dolgótnyj)
• Spanish: longitudinal
• Welsh: hydredol (cy)

running in the direction of the long axis of a body

• Bulgarian: надлъжен (nadlǎžen)
• Czech: podélný
• Dutch: overlangs (nl)
• Finnish: pitkittäinen (fi)
• German: längslaufend
• Hungarian: hosszanti (hu), hosszirányú
• Japanese: 縦の (ja) (tate no)
• Russian: осево́й (ru) m (osevój)
• Welsh: hydredol (cy)

forward and/or backward, relative to some defined direction

• Finnish: pitkittäis-
• Japanese: 進行方向の (shinkōhōkō no)
• Russian: продо́льный (ru) m (prodólʹnyj)

sampling data over time

• Hungarian: longitudinális, hosszmetszeti
• Irish: comhréireach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: дугорочни

  Roman: dugoročni (sh)

• Spanish: longitudinal

Noun

longitudinal (plural longitudinals)

1. Any longitudinal piece, as in shipbuilding etc.
2. (rail transport) A railway sleeper lying parallel with the rail.

Translations

Any piece lying longitudinally, a thin rod or beam extending the length of an object.

• Maori: tari

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

longitudinal (feminine longitudinale, masculine plural longitudinaux, feminine plural longitudinales)

1. longitudinal

Further reading

• “longitudinal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

From French longitudinal.

Adjective

longitudinal m or n (feminine singular longitudinală, masculine plural longitudinali, feminine and neuter plural longitudinale)

1. longitudinal

Declension

Declension of longitudinal

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	longitudinal		longitudinală	longitudinali	longitudinale
	definite	longitudinalul		longitudinala	longitudinalii	longitudinalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	longitudinal		longitudinale	longitudinali	longitudinale
	definite	longitudinalului		longitudinalei	longitudinalilor	longitudinalelor

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lonxitudiˈnal/ [lõŋ.xi.t̪u.ð̞iˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: lon‧gi‧tu‧di‧nal

Adjective

longitudinal (plural longitudinales)

1. longitudinal (relating to length or longitude)
2. longitudinal (sampling data over time)
   • 2001, Psicología infantil, Grupo Planeta (GBS) →ISBN, page 80

     El número de años que requiere un estudio longitudinal puede variar considerablemente.

     The number of years required by a longitudinal study may vary considerably.

Related terms

• longitud
• longitudinalmente

 

Further reading

• “longitudinal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014