meridian

[ muh-rid-ee-uhn ]
See synonyms for meridian on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Geography.

    • a great circle of the earth passing through the poles and any given point on the earth's surface.

    • the half of such a circle included between the poles.

  2. Astronomy. the great circle of the celestial sphere that passes through its poles and the observer's zenith.

  1. a point or period of highest development, greatest prosperity, or the like.

  2. (in acupuncture) any of the pathways in the body along which vital energy flows.

adjective
  1. of or relating to a meridian.

  2. of or relating to midday or noon: the meridian hour.

  1. of or indicating a period of greatest prosperity, splendor, success, etc.

Origin of meridian

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin merīdiānus of noon, equivalent to merīdi(ēs) midday (formed from the locative merīdiē at midday, by dissimilation <*medī diē; mediusmid1, diēs day) + -ānus-an

Words Nearby meridian

Other definitions for Meridian (2 of 2)

Meridian
[ muh-rid-ee-uhn ]

noun
  1. a city in E Mississippi.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use meridian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for meridian

meridian

/ (məˈrɪdɪən) /


noun
    • one of the imaginary lines joining the north and south poles at right angles to the equator, designated by degrees of longitude from 0° at Greenwich to 180°

    • the great circle running through both poles: See prime meridian

  1. astronomy

    • the great circle on the celestial sphere passing through the north and south celestial poles and the zenith and nadir of the observer

    • (as modifier): a meridian instrument

  1. Also called: meridian section maths a section of a surface of revolution, such as a paraboloid, that contains the axis of revolution

  2. the peak; zenith: the meridian of his achievements

  3. (in acupuncture, etc) any of the channels through which vital energy is believed to circulate round the body

  4. obsolete noon

adjective
  1. along or relating to a meridian

  2. of or happening at noon

  1. relating to the peak of something

Origin of meridian

1
C14: from Latin merīdiānus of midday, from merīdiēs midday, from medius mid 1 + diēs day

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for meridian

meridian

[ mə-rĭdē-ən ]


  1. An imaginary line forming a great circle that passes through the Earth's North and South geographic poles.

  2. Either half of such a circle from pole to pole. All the places on the same meridian have the same longitude. See illustration at longitude.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for meridian

meridian

[ (muh-rid-ee-uhn) ]


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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.