equator

[ ih-kwey-ter ]

/ ɪˈkweɪ tər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR equator ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the great circle on a sphere or heavenly body whose plane is perpendicular to the axis, equidistant everywhere from the two poles of the sphere or heavenly body.

the great circle of the earth that is equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole.

a circle separating a surface into two congruent parts.

celestial equator.

Nearby words

equation of state, equation of time, equational, equational verb, equative, equator, equatorial, equatorial coordinate system, equatorial countercurrent, equatorial current, equatorial guinea

Origin of equator

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin aequātor, Latin: equalizer (of day and night, as when the sun crosses the equator). See equate, -tor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for equator

Yasuni Natonal Park, where the equator meets the Andes, is famed for its fabulous variety of plants and animals.
The Rio+20 Conference Went From Good Intentions to the To-Do List From Hell|Mac Margolis|June 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
An orbit near the equator was important for a variety of reasons.
5 Cool Facts About NASA’s NuSTAR X-Ray Telescope|Jesse Singal|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Those storms kicked up in the collision zone around the equator spin westward off the coast of Cape Verde.
Sudan Drought Breeds Violence|Eliza Griswold|July 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And yet the trees are cultivated in every country within 15 degrees of the Equator, so a virtual cocoa belt encircles the globe.
Four Chocolate Questions Answered|Mary Goodbody|September 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Every land is considered with reference to the fatherland, other known lands, the equator, and the poles.
The School System of Norway|David Allen Anderson
There are temperature-regions south as well as north of the equator.
Evolution|Joseph Le Conte
In the end of June the ships passed the equator, and scurvy made its customary appearance among the men.
The Golden Book of the Dutch Navigators|Hendrik Willem van Loon
That part of the mechanism which represents the equator and the zodiac is calculated to make one revolution in 25,000 years.
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Vol II|Edward Luther Stevenson
At the equator the sun was supposed in every hour to traverse a distance of thirty stadia.
The History of Antiquity, Vol. I (of VI)|Max Duncker

British Dictionary definitions for equator

equator

/ (ɪˈkweɪtə) /

noun

the great circle of the earth with a latitude of 0°, lying equidistant from the poles; dividing the N and S hemispheres

a circle dividing a sphere or other surface into two equal symmetrical parts

See magnetic equator

astronomy See celestial equator

Word Origin for equator

C14: from Medieval Latin (circulus) aequātor (diei et noctis) (circle) that equalizes (the day and night), from Latin aequāre to make equal

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

Science definitions for equator

equator

[ ĭ-kwā′tər ]

An imaginary line forming a great circle around the Earth's surface, equidistant from the poles and in a plane perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation. It divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres and is the basis from which latitude is measured.

A similar circle on the surface of any celestial body.

The celestial equator.

Culture definitions for equator

equator

An imaginary circle around the Earth, equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole.