latitude
freedom or flexibility in decisions
The freedom to choose how to act or decide, without being closely controlled.
to give [someone] (more) latitude (to do [something])
- Teachers are given considerable latitude in how they design their own courses.
- The new policy gives managers more latitude to hire staff as they see fit.
- Within these guidelines, you have plenty of latitude to be creative.
- Editors often allow writers some latitude with style and tone.
- The judge used her latitude to impose a lighter sentence.
- My boss gives me a lot of latitude in how I do my work.
- Parents should give teenagers some latitude to make their own choices.
- The company rules are clear, but there is still some latitude.
- The director had great latitude to change the script.
- The teacher has little latitude when it comes to exam dates.
distance north or south of equator
A number that shows how far a place is north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.
the latitude of [a place] is [number] degrees [north/south]
- London lies at a latitude of about 51 degrees north.
- As you move toward higher latitudes, the climate generally becomes cooler.
- This city and New York are at almost the same latitude.
- The software lets you enter the latitude and longitude of your location.
- Bird species change noticeably with latitude and altitude.
- The latitude of Paris is about 49 degrees north.
- Places near the equator have a low latitude.
- On a map, latitude lines run east and west.
- We entered the latitude and longitude into the GPS.
- Cities at the same latitude can have similar weather.
regions at a particular latitude
Areas of the world that are at a certain distance from the equator, which often have similar weather.
in [high/northern/tropical/etc.] latitudes
- Winters are long at these northern latitudes.
- Coffee is typically grown in tropical latitudes around the equator.
- At higher latitudes, the days are very short in winter.
- Very few trees grow at such extreme latitudes.
- This species cannot survive in colder latitudes.
- Summer nights are very short at high latitudes.
- Many fruits grow well in warm latitudes.
- In these latitudes, it rains a lot in winter.
- Bears live in colder northern latitudes.
- Farmers in low latitudes can grow crops all year.
celestial latitude in astronomy
In astronomy, a number that shows how far a star or planet is north or south of the path of the Sun in the sky.
a celestial object with a latitude of [number] degrees
- The star has a celestial latitude of just over five degrees.
- Objects with high galactic latitude are found well above the Milky Way's disk.
- The catalog lists each comet's longitude and latitude at the time of observation.
- In astronomy, we can write the latitude of a star in degrees.
- Galactic latitude tells us how far a star is from the plane of our galaxy.
- The scientist calculated the comet's latitude and longitude in the sky.
- Base: latitude
- Plural: latitude, latitudes
at this latitude
1in this geographical latitude zone
In the part of the world that is this far north or south of the equator.
- Snow is unusual at this latitude.
- The days are very short at this latitude in winter.
- At this latitude, palm trees cannot survive outdoors.
give someone latitude
1allow someone freedom or flexibility
To allow a person to decide or act in their own way, without being closely controlled.
- The company gives its designers a lot of latitude to try new ideas.
- Parents should give their children some latitude to solve problems on their own.
- Our teacher gives us latitude in choosing our research topics.
high latitudes
1regions far from the equator
Parts of the world that are far north or far south from the equator, often cold and near the poles.
- Sea ice is melting faster in the high latitudes.
- Many people in high latitudes experience very long winter nights.
- Forests at high latitudes are sensitive to climate change.