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MERIDIAN
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An imaginary great circle on the surface of the earth passing through the north and south poles at right angles to the equator
Example:
all points on the same meridian have the same longitude
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("meridian" is a kind of...):
great circle (a circular line on the surface of a sphere formed by intersecting it with a plane passing through the center)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "meridian"):
observer's meridian (a meridian that passes through the observer's zenith)
prime meridian (meridian at zero degree longitude from which east and west are reckoned (usually the Greenwich longitude in England))
magnetic meridian (an imaginary line passing through both magnetic poles of the Earth)
Instance hyponyms:
date line; dateline; International Date Line (an imaginary line on the surface of the earth following (approximately) the 180th meridian)
Derivation:
meridional (of or relating to a meridian)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A town in eastern Mississippi
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Instance hypernyms:
town (an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city)
Holonyms ("Meridian" is a part of...):
Magnolia State; Miss.; Mississippi; MS (a state in the Deep South on the gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate States during the American Civil War)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
Example:
at the top of his profession
Synonyms:
acme; elevation; height; meridian; peak; pinnacle; summit; superlative; tiptop; top
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("meridian" is a kind of...):
degree; level; point; stage (a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process)
Derivation:
meridian (being at the best stage of development)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Being at the best stage of development
Example:
our manhood's prime vigor
Synonyms:
meridian; prime
Classified under:
Similar:
mature (having reached full natural growth or development)
Derivation:
meridian (the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Of or happening at noon
Example:
meridian hour
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Pertainym:
noon (the middle of the day)
