latitude: [14] Latin lātus meant ‘broad’. From it were derived dīlātāre ‘spread out’ (source of English dilate) and lātitūdō, which English took over as latitude. Its use as a cartographical term stems from the oblong maps of the ancient world, in which distance from north to south represented ‘breadth’ (hence latitude), and distance from east to west represented ‘length’ (hence longitude [16], from Latin longitūdō, a derivative of longus ‘long’). => dilate
latitude (n.)
late 14c., "breadth," from Old French latitude (13c.) and directly from Latin latitudo "breadth, width, extent, size," from latus "wide," from PIE root *stele- "to spread" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic steljo "to spread out," Armenian lain "broad"). Geographical sense also is from late 14c., literally "breadth" of a map of the known world. Figurative sense of "allowable degree of variation" is early 15c. Related: Latitudinal.
双语例句
1. He would be given every latitude in forming a new government.
他将可以不受任何限制地组建新政府。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.
该岛的纬度是南纬20度.
来自《简明英汉词典》
3. This city is close to the fortieth parallel of north latitude.
这个城市靠近北纬40度.
来自《简明英汉词典》
4. She was given considerable latitude in how she spent the money.
