Where does “latitude” come from?
Latitude comes from Old French latitude, from Latin latitudo meaning "width," derived from Latin latus meaning "wide," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European telh₂- meaning "to bear or spread."
latitude (English): The angular distance north or south from a...
Definitions
- The angular distance north or south from a...
Ancestry of “latitude”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | latitude | breadth |
| 2 | Latin | lātitūdō | breadth, width, latitude |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κλίμα | a slope, incline, inclination; the supposed slope... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κλίνω | to bend, slant; to cause to give way, cause to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱley- | to shelter, cover; to lean, slope, incline |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |