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Glite Dictionary
low-altitude

low-altitude

5 4.3
Happening near the ground or sea level
  • adjective
  • /loʊ ˈæl.tɪ.tuːd/
translation icon : bajo altitud
  • Shortly after dawn, there will be a low altitude inspection flight for the journalists.

Examples

  • During our hike, we noticed a variety of plants thriving at low altitudes near the river.

  • The military conducts low-altitude training exercises to simulate real combat conditions.

  • A third began a run in towards formation at low altitude with a friendly fighter on his tail.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Now, the work you will be asked to do will require a little low altitude flying, so hedge-hopping on this trip is perfectly okay.

    Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

  • The valve normally opens at low altitude to equalize cabin air pressure with the outside air pressure.

    Blog text (10)

  • The wings are clipped to give better manoeuvrability at low altitudes.

    Spitfire (2018)

  • The area has some good low-altitude forest and bamboo thickets; thus, many of Taiwan's other low-altitude forest birds can be seen.

    Blog text (6)

  • Birds often fly in low-altitude formations as they migrate south for the winter.

Synonyms

low
vslow-altitude
∞ 1.0

Near the ground in height

focuses on events near surface level instead of objects' elevation
low-lying
vslow-altitude
15 4.1

Areas close to the ground or sea level that often flood

refers to events near surface level, not to land or flood risk
low-level
vslow-altitude
4 3.7

Happening close to the ground

is used for any event occurring near surface level rather than flight-specific

Antonyms

high-altitude
20 4.2

Located high above sea level

How High

high-altitude
20 4.2
low-altitude
5 4.3

Surface Forms

low-altitude positive

Morphology

low-altitude = low + altitude (transparent) = low + altitude

The meaning follows directly from the clear combination of 'low' and 'altitude' (occurring at a low height).

Etymology

The word low-altitude is made of low and altitude, and altitude comes from an old Latin root altus meaning 'high'. So low-altitude literally means 'low height' or 'close to the ground', which is why we use it for things happening near the ground or sea level.