altitude
English
Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Latin altitudo (“height”), from altus (“high”).
Noun
altitude (countable and uncountable, plural altitudes)
- The absolute height of a location, usually measured from sea level.
- 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
- Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.
- As the altitude increases, the temperature gets lower, so remember to bring warm clothes to the mountains.
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- A vertical distance.
- (geometry) The distance measured perpendicularly from a figure's vertex to the opposite side of the vertex.
- The perpendicular height of a triangle is known as its altitude.
- (astronomy) The angular distance of a heavenly body above our Earth's horizon.
- Height of rank or excellence; superiority.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Jonathan Swift to this entry?)
- (dated, in the plural) Elevation of spirits; heroics; haughty airs.
- Sir Walter Scott
- The man of law began to get into his altitudes.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Richardson to this entry?)
- Sir Walter Scott
- Highest point or degree.
- Shakespeare
- He is [proud] even to the altitude of his virtue.
- Shakespeare
Derived terms
- high-altitude
- low-altitude
- medium-altitude
Translations
absolute height
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distance measured upwards
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distance measured perpendicularly from a figure's vertex to the opposite side of the vertex
distance measured angularly of a heavenly body
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Further reading
- altitude in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- altitude in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /al.ti.tyd/
Audio (file)
Related terms
Further reading
- “altitude” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Galician
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /aɫ.ti.ˈtu.ðɨ/
- Hyphenation: al‧ti‧tu‧de
- Rhymes: -udʒi
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