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antipodes

[an-tip-uh-deez]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR antipodes ON THESAURUS.COM

plural noun

places diametrically opposite each other on the globe.
those who dwell there.

Origin of antipodes

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek (hoi) antípodes literally, (those) with the feet opposite (plural of antípous), equivalent to anti- anti- + -podes, nominative plural of poûs foot
Related formsan·tip·o·de·an [an-tip-uh-dee-uh n] /ænˌtɪp əˈdi ən/, adjective, noun

Antipodes

[an-tip-uh-deez]

noun (used with a plural verb)

a group of islands SE of and belonging to New Zealand. 24 sq. mi. (62 sq. km).

antipode

[an-ti-pohd]

noun

a direct or exact opposite.

Origin of antipode

First recorded in 1540–50; back formation from antipodes
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for antipodes

inverse, reverse, obverse, antithesis, converse, contrary, antipode, antipole

Examples from the Web for antipodes

Historical Examples of antipodes

  • Opposite neighbors, and as far removed as if we had lived at the antipodes.

    The First Violin

    Jessie Fothergill

  • Was it not generally believed in former times, that there were no antipodes?

    The Phantom World

    Augustin Calmet

  • John Feversham, the nephew, was almost the antipodes of his uncle.

    Clare Avery

    Emily Sarah Holt

  • A spirit whispered the news to Sir Francis, who was at the Antipodes.

  • The Spanish clergy declared that the theory of the antipodes was hostile to the faith.

    How to Succeed

    Orison Swett Marden

British Dictionary definitions for antipodes

antipodes

pl n

either or both of two points, places, or regions that are situated diametrically opposite to one another on the earth's surface, esp the country or region opposite one's own
the people who live there
the antipodes (often capital) Australia and New Zealand
(sometimes functioning as singular) the exact or direct opposite
Derived Formsantipodean (ænˌtɪpəˈdiːən), adjective, noun

Word Origin for antipodes

C16: via Late Latin from Greek, plural of antipous having the feet opposite, from anti- + pous foot

antipode

noun

the exact or direct opposite
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
Word Origin and History for antipodes
n.

late 14c., "persons who dwell on the opposite side of the globe;" 1540s as "place on the opposite side of the earth," from Latin antipodes "those who dwell on the opposite side of the earth," from Greek antipodes, plural of antipous "with feet opposite (ours)," from anti- "opposite" (see anti-) + pous "foot" (see foot (n.)); thus, people who live on the opposite side of the world.

Yonde in Ethiopia ben the Antipodes, men that haue theyr fete ayenst our fete. ["De Proprietatibus Rerum Bartholomeus Anglicus," translated by John of Trevisa, 1398]

Not to be confused with antiscii "those who live on the same meridian on opposite side of the equator," whose shadows fall at noon in the opposite direction, from Greek anti- + skia "shadow." Related: Antipodal (adj.); antipodean (1630s, n.; 1650s, adj.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
antipodes in Science

antipodes

[ăn-tĭp′ə-dēz′]

Two places on directly opposite sides of the Earth, such as the North Pole and the South Pole.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
antipodes in Culture

antipodes

[(an-tip-uh-deez)]

Two places on the globe that are exactly opposite each other; for example, the North Pole and South Pole.

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.