prime meridian
1
4.4
- noun
- /praɪm ˈmɛrɪdiən/
:
meridiano de Greenwich
- The prime meridian is the reference point for determining longitude and is located in Greenwich, England.
And the longitude is an act of politics that put the prime Meridian through Greenwich.
- And the longitude is an act of politics that put the prime Meridian through Greenwich.
Examples
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It's rumored that France conceded the prime Meridian in exchange for everybody adopting the metric system.
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And the longitude is an act of politics that put the prime Meridian through Greenwich.
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If Smith used a prime meridian of 26 degrees through the Azores as the basis of his map, then his longitude equivalent of 25 degrees 30 minutes was almost "spot on"!
Academic text (2007) -
This point is approximately 76 degrees west longitude using today's prime meridian through Greenwich, England.
Academic text (2007) -
Scott and Donovan are amused to relate that the Italians have decreed that the prime meridian now runs through Rome.
Fiction book (2000) -
Some mapmakers of the 16th century used a prime meridian through the Azores (26-30 degrees west of Greenwich on today's maps).
Academic text (2007) -
Cartographers of Smith's time generally based their calculations on a prime meridian through Ferro in the Canary Islands (approximately 17 degrees west on today's maps).
Academic text (2007) -
In a strong sense, then, a fiddler crab's frame of reference—the equator and prime meridian of its entire world—is centered on its burrow.
Academic text (2004) -
Meridians of longitude are measured east and west from the prime meridian, which is set at zero degrees.
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Travelers often use the prime meridian to understand time zones as it marks the starting point for global timekeeping.
Synonyms
A line of longitude at zero degrees that passes through Greenwich, London
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a straightforward adjectival composition: 'prime' (= primary/main) modifies 'meridian' (= a line of longitude), so the phrase denotes the main meridian used as the reference. This is a regular, cross-linguistically common formation, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Prime meridian gets its picture from a starting line for the Earth: prime means 'first' and meridian means a line from north to south, and the line through Greenwich was chosen as the 'zero' line. That's why the prime meridian is the starting point for measuring east and west on maps.