meridian
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: astronomy
geography
mathematics
media
natural-sciences
printing
publishing
sciences
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *me
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-?
Proto-Indo-European *-dʰe
Proto-Indo-European *médʰi
Proto-Indo-European *-os
Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos
Proto-Italic *meðjos
Latin medius
Proto-Indo-European *dyew-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *dyḗws
Proto-Italic *djous
Latin diēs
Latin medīdiēs
Latin merīdiēs
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Italic *-nos
Latin -nus
Latin -ānus
Latin merīdiānusder.
Middle English meridian
English meridian
The noun is derived from Late Middle English meridian, meridien (“midday, noon; position of the sun at noon; the south; longitude of a place; (astronomy) celestial meridian”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman meridien (“midday”), Middle French meridien (“midday; the south; terrestrial meridian; (astronomy) celestial meridian”) (modern French méridien), and Old French meridiane, meridiiene, and from their etymon Latin merīdiānum (“midday; position of the sun at noon; the south”), a noun use of the neuter form of merīdiānus (“relating to midday; southern”); see further at etymology 1.
Sense 1.1 (“celestial meridian”) is ultimately modelled after Latin merīdiāna līnea (“meridian line”). Sense 5.2 (“midday rest; siesta”) is modelled after Late Latin meridiana (“midday; midday rest”), probably short for Latin merīdiāna hōra (“midday time”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Inflected forms:
form: meridians
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: In full celestial meridian: a great circle passing through the poles of the celestial sphere and the zenith for a particular point on the Earth's surface.
pos: noun
gloss: In full terrestrial meridian: a great circle on the Earth's surface, passing through the geographic poles (the terrestrial North Pole and South Pole); also, half of such a circle extending from pole to pole, all points of which have the same longitude.
pos: noun
tags: also
examples: In this Place of Venus the Hour and Amplitude of the Sun's Riſing, for one Half of the Year, are the ſame with thoſe of his Setting in the other Half; which will alſo happen in all Places under the firſt Meridian, where he riſes and ſets: […]
Thought he, it’s a wicked world in all meridians; I’ll die a pagan.
gloss: The place on the celestial meridian where it is crossed by the sun or a star at its highest point.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
examples: This vvonderful perſon ſtruck Medals, vvhich he diſperſed as Tickets to his ſubſcribers: The device, a Star riſing to the Meridian, vvith this Motto, Ad Summa [To the highest]; and belovv, Inveniam Viam aut faciam [I shall either find a way or make one].
gloss: The place on the celestial meridian where it is crossed by the sun or a star at its highest point.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
figuratively
examples: I haue touch'd the higheſt point of all my Greatneſſe, / And from that full Meridian of my Glory, / I haſte novv to my Setting. I ſhall fall / Like a bright exhalation in the Euening, / And no man ſee me more.
[…] Ovid liv'd vvhen the Roman Tongue vvas in its Meridian; [Geoffrey] Chaucer, in the Davvning of our Language: […]
This was the moment at which the fortunes of Montague reached the meridian. The decline was close at hand.
gloss: The place on the celestial meridian where it is crossed by the sun or a star at its highest point.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
figuratively
specifically
examples: Natures that haue much Heat, and great and violent deſires and Perturbations, are not ripe for Action, till they haue paſſed the Meridian of their yeares: As it was with Iulius Cæſar, and Septimius Seuerus.
You ſeem to marvel I do not Marry all this vvhile, conſidering that I am paſt the Meridian of my Age, and that to you Knovvledge there have been overtures made me of Parties above my Degree.
And here [Missolonghi],—it is impossible not to pause, and send a mournful thought forward to the visit which, fifteen years later, he paid to this same spot,—when, in the full meridian both of his age and fame, he came to lay down his life as the champion of that land, through which he now wandered a stripling and a stranger.
gloss: A ring or half-ring with markings in which an artificial globe is installed and may spin.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
examples: Call to mind thy dream, / An earthly globe, / On whoſe meridian was engraven, / Theſe ſeas are tears, and heav'n the haven.
gloss: A line passing through the poles of any sphere; a notional line on the surface of a curved or round body (in particular, an eyeball).
pos: noun
tags: broadly
gloss: The size of type between double great primer and canon, standardized as 44-point.
pos: noun
tags: US
dated
gloss: The south.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: [T]he figure of the very earth, vvhich together vvith the vvater, is by the ſame arguments knovvne to be like a Globe: for ſo doubtleſſe it commeth to paſſe, that vvith us the ſtars about the North pole, never go dovvn; and thoſe contrarivviſe of the Meridian, never riſe.
gloss: Midday, noon.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: He acts his vvhole life on this earthly ſtage, / In Child-hood, Youth, Man-hood, Decripit age. / The very day that doth afford him light, / Is Morning, the Meridian, Evening, Night.
gloss: A midday rest; a siesta.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: "As we have," he said, "in the course of this our toilsome journey, lost our meridian, indulgence shall be given to those of our attendants who shall, from very weariness, be unable to attend the duty at prime, and this by way of misericord or indulgentia."
gloss: A particular area or situation considered as having a specific characteristic or identity; also, the characteristics, habits, or tastes of a specific group, locale, etc.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: Diet, […] comprehends thoſe ſixe non naturall things, vvhich I haue before ſpecified, are eſpeciall cauſes, and being rectified, a ſole or chiefe part of the Cure. […] VVhich hovvſoeuer I treat of, as proper to the Meridian of melancholy, yet neuertheleſſe that vvhich is here ſaid, vvill generally ſerue moſt other diſeaſes, and eaſe them likevviſe, if it be obſerued.
A VVorke not ſmelling of the Lampe, to night, / But fitted for your Maieſties diſport, / And vvrit to the Meridian of your Court, / VVe bring; and hope it may produce delight: […]
All other knowledge meerly or principally ſerves the concerns of this Life, and is fitted to the meridian thereof: […]
I repreſented to him the good Reception the two firſt Parts had met, that tho' they had been calculated by him, only for the Meridian of Grub-ſtreet, yet they were taken notice of by the better ſort; […]
This ſuggeſtion, improbable as it vvas, had the deſired effect upon the captain, being exactly calculated for the meridian of his intellects; […]
[H]is accompliſhments were exactly calculated for the meridian of female taſte; and with certain individuals of that ſex, his muſcular frame, and the robuſt connection of his limbs, were more attractive than the delicate proportions of his companion.
She loves to gossip about the Abbey and Lord Byron, and was soon drawn into a course of anecdotes, though mostly of a humble kind, suited to the meridian of the housekeeper's room and servants' hall.
gloss: An alcoholic drink taken at midday.
pos: noun
tags: Scotland
obsolete
examples: Plumdamas joined the other two gentlemen in taking their meridian (a bumper-dram of brandy), as they passed the well-known low-browed shop in the Lawn-Market, where they were wont to take that refreshment.
Related words: méridienne
meridienne
meridional
meridionally
Derived words: antimeridian
autonomous sensory meridian response
circummeridian
extrameridian
Ferro meridian
Greenwich meridian
hemimeridian
meridianal
meridianally
meridian fennel
meridian termite
prime meridian
semimeridian
standard meridian
transmeridian
Washington Meridian Time
zero meridian
Translations: