longitudinal

[ lon-ji-tood-n-l, -tyood- ]
See synonyms for longitudinal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or relating to longitude or length: longitudinal measurement.

  2. extending in the direction of the length of a thing; running lengthwise: a thin, longitudinal stripe.

  1. Zoology. pertaining to or extending along the long axis of the body, or the direction from front to back, or head to tail.

  2. pertaining to a research design or survey in which the same subjects are observed repeatedly over a period of time.

noun
  1. a longitudinal framing member, as in the hull of a ship.

Origin of longitudinal

1
1535–45; <Latin longitūdin- (stem of longitūdō; see longitude) + -al1

Other words from longitudinal

  • lon·gi·tu·di·nal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby longitudinal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use longitudinal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for longitudinal

longitudinal

/ (ˌlɒndʒɪˈtjuːdɪnəl, ˌlɒŋɡ-) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to longitude or length

  2. placed or extended lengthways: Compare transverse (def. 1)

  1. psychol (of a study of behaviour) carried on over a protracted period of time

Derived forms of longitudinal

  • longitudinally, adverb

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