Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “longitude” come from?

Longitude comes from Old French longitude, from Latin longitudo, derived from Latin longus meaning "long," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dl̥h₁gʰós and dlongʰos.

longitude (English): Angular distance measured west or east of the...

Definitions

  1. Angular distance measured west or east of the...

Ancestry of “longitude”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchlongitude—
2Latinlongitūdō—
3Latinlongusfar, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,...
4Latin-ē—
5Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
6Latincalceusshoe
7Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
8Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “longitude”

  • heliolongitude
  • paleolongitude
  • palaeolongitude
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →