azimuth

American  

[az-uh-muhth] / ˈæz ə məθ /

noun

1. Astronomy, Navigation. the arc of the horizon measured clockwise from the south point, in astronomy, or from the north point, in navigation, to the point where a vertical circle through a given heavenly body intersects the horizon.

2. Surveying, Gunnery. the angle of horizontal deviation, measured clockwise, of a bearing from a standard direction, as from north or south.

---

azimuth British  

/ ˈæzɪməθ, ˌæzɪˈmʌθəl /

noun

1. astronomy nautical the angular distance usually measured clockwise from the north point of the horizon to the intersection with the horizon of the vertical circle passing through a celestial body Compare altitude

2. surveying the horizontal angle of a bearing clockwise from a standard direction, such as north

---

azimuth Scientific  

/ ăz′ə-məth /

1. The position of a celestial object along an observer's horizon. Azimuth is a horizontal angle measured clockwise in degrees from a reference direction, usually the north or south point of the horizon, to the point on the horizon intersected by the object's line of altitude (a line from the observer's zenith through the object to the horizon). If north is the reference point (0°), then east has an azimuth of 90°, south is 180°, and so forth through 360°.

2. See more at altazimuth coordinate system

---

Other Word Forms

• azimuthal
  adjective
• azimuthally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of azimuth

1350–1400; Middle English azimut < Middle French ≪ Arabic as sumūt the ways (i.e., directions)

Example Sentences

In 2018, the company purchased Azimuth Security and Linchpin Labs, two Australian cyber firms that Vice reported had sold zero day exploits to the Five Eyes countries.

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2022

Soon after, Mr. Gluckstern started Azimuth Trust, an asset management firm that he ran until 2005.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2022

The paper, “Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position,” marked the first time a woman wrote a technical report in NASA’s elite flight research division.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2020

She co-authored the paper Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position, which detailed the equations that describe an orbital spaceflight where the craft’s landing position is specified.

From Scientific American • Aug. 28, 2018

In your Azimuth Table, find the azimuth for the proper "t," L and D. IX.

From Lectures in Navigation by Draper, Ernest Gallaudet