equatorial
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or near an equator, especially the equator of the earth.
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of, like, or typical of the regions at the earth's equator.
equatorial temperatures.
noun
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a telescope mounting having two axes of motion, one parallel to the earth's axis and one at right angles to it.
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Also called equatorial instrument, equatorial telescope. a telescope with such a mounting.
adjective
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of, like, or existing at or near the equator
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astronautics (of a telescope) mounted on the perpendicular axes, one of which is parallel to the earth's axis
an equatorial orbit
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astronomy of or referring to the celestial equator
equatorial coordinates
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of equatorial
Vocabulary lists containing equatorial
South America - Middle School
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South America - Introductory
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South America - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These measurements come from the region of the equatorial Pacific used to monitor El Niño.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
El Niño is a climate pattern marked by unusual warmth in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, and results in changes to the atmosphere that, typically, lead to above-average precipitation in Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
As the equatorial Kelvin wave hits South America, the energy converts into a coastal Kelvin wave, and heads both north and south along the continents.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Haser noted in his EGU 26 paper that current estimates point to a porous interior, possible water ice, and a denser concentration of material near Phobos' equatorial region.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Originally, of course, people as distinctive as the Pygmies, living in a place as distinctive as the equatorial African rain forest, were surely isolated enough to develop their own language family.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
