n]
| 1. | Geography.
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| 2. | Astronomy. the great circle of the celestial sphere that passes through its poles and the observer's zenith. |
| 3. | a point or period of highest development, greatest prosperity, or the like. |
| 4. | (in acupuncture) any of the pathways in the body along which vital energy flows. |
| 5. | of or pertaining to a meridian. |
| 6. | of or pertaining to midday or noon: the meridian hour. |
| 7. | of or indicating a period of greatest prosperity, splendor, success, etc. |
| median strip n. Eastern, Midwestern, & Southern U.S. The dividing area, either paved or landscaped, between opposing lanes of traffic on some highways. Also called median; also called regionally boulevard, mall1, medial strip, meridian, neutral ground. See Regional Note at neutral ground. |
me·rid·i·an (mə-rĭd'ē-ən) ![]() (click for larger image in new window) n.
[Middle English, from Old French, midday, from Latin merīdiānus, of midday, from merīdiēs, midday, from merīdiē, at midday, alteration of earlier *medīdiē, from *mediei diē : *mediei, dative (locative) of medius, middle; see medhyo- in Indo-European roots + diē, dative of diēs, day; see dyeu- in Indo-European roots.] |
A great imaginary circle on the surface of the Earth that runs north and south through the North Pole and South Pole. Longitude is measured on meridians: places on a meridian have the same longitude. (See prime meridian.)
meridian me·rid·i·an (mə-rĭd'ē-ən)
n.
An imaginary line encircling a globular body at right angles to its equator and passing through its poles.
Either half of such a great circle from pole to pole.
Any of the longitudinal lines or pathways on the body along which the acupuncture points are distributed.
meridian (mə-rĭd'ē-ən) Pronunciation Key
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Meridian
city, seat of Lauderdale county, eastern Mississippi, U.S., lying 93 miles (150 km) east of Jackson. In 1854 the site was chosen as the junction of the Vicksburg and Montgomery and the Mobile and Ohio railway lines about 20 miles (30 km) from the Alabama border. The name was chosen by a settler who thought "meridian" meant "junction," or, possibly, "zenith." During the American Civil War it was a Confederate military camp and served as the state capital for one month in 1863. General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union troops destroyed the city the following February. Merrehope is a surviving stately 20-room antebellum mansion; the city's Grand Opera House dates from 1890. Major manufactures include audio equipment, paper products, automotive parts, and steel products. Meridian Community College was opened in 1937; the city also has a branch campus of Mississippi State University. A naval air station is 15 miles (25 km) northeast. Okatibbee Dam and Lake are 10 miles (15 km) northwest; Clarkco State Park is 20 miles (30 km) south
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