Chinese word

纬度

Pronunciation

Pinyinwěi dù

Meaning

  • nounlatitude

Example

这座城市的纬度很高，冬天很冷。zhè zuò chéng shì de wěi dù hěn gāo dōng tiān hěn lěng

This city's latitude is high, so winters are very cold.

Illustration for 纬度 (latitude)

More examples

不同纬度的地区在气候和日照上有明显差异。bù tóng wěi dù de dì qū zài qì hòu hé rì zhào shàng yǒu míng xiǎn chā yì

Regions at different latitudes have clear differences in climate and sunlight.

Core concept

A north-south position on Earth measured as an angle from the equator.

Common phrases

  • 高纬度地区gāo wěi dù dì qū

    high-latitude region

  • 低纬度地区dī wěi dù dì qū

    low-latitude region

  • 纬度带wěi dù dài

    latitude zone

Similar words

经度jīng dù: An angular measure of how far a place lies east or west of the prime meridian.
赤道chì dào: The imaginary line around Earth that separates the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
纬线wěi xiàn: An imaginary line parallel to the equator that connects places at the same latitude.
海拔hǎi bá: The height of a place above sea level.

Definition in Chinese

表示地球上某点相对于赤道的角距离，通常以度为单位，用北纬或南纬表示点在赤道以北或以南的位移。biǎo shì dì qiú shàng mǒu diǎn xiāng duì yú chì dào de jiǎo jù lí tōng cháng yǐ dù wèi dān wèi yòng béi wěi huò nán wěi biǎo shì diǎn zài chì dào yí běi huò yǐ nán de wèi yí

Word origin

The word combines 纬 (wěi, "weft; horizontal line") + 度 (dù, "degree; measure"), linking Earth-spanning lines with their angular distance from the equator.

Usage tips

  • In weather talk, high and low describe distance from the equator, not physical height, so a high value can help explain a colder climate.

Opposites

Related words

  • 纬线wěi xiànlatitude linenoun
  • 北纬béi wěinorth latitudenoun
  • 南纬nán wěisouth latitudenoun

Word lists with this word