altitude

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altitude

elevation; extent or distance upward; height: The altitude of the Washington Monument is 555 feet.

Not to be confused with:

attitude – position; disposition; feeling regarding a person or thing: a negative attitude; posture that is expressive of an emotion: an attitude of indifference

al·ti·tude

(ăl′tĭ-to͞od′, -tyo͞od′)

a. The height of a thing above a reference level, especially above sea level or above the earth's surface. See Synonyms at elevation.

b. Great height or elevation: has trouble breathing at altitude.

c. often altitudes A high location or area.

2. Astronomy The angular distance above the observer's horizon of a celestial object.

3. Mathematics The perpendicular distance from the base of a geometric figure to the opposite vertex, parallel side, or parallel surface.

[Middle English, from Latin altitūdō, from altus, high; see al- in Indo-European roots.]

al′ti·tu′di·nal (-to͞od′n-əl, -tyo͞od′-) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

altitude

(ˈæltɪˌtjuːd)

1. the vertical height of an object above some chosen level, esp above sea level; elevation

2. (Mathematics) geometry the perpendicular distance from the vertex to the base of a geometrical figure or solid

3. (Astronomy) astronomy nautical Also called: elevation the angular distance of a celestial body from the horizon measured along the vertical circle passing through the body. Compare azimuth¹

4. (Surveying) surveying the angle of elevation of a point above the horizontal plane of the observer

5. (often plural) a high place or region

[C14: from Latin altitūdō, from altus high, deep]

ˌaltiˈtudinal adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

al•ti•tude

(ˈæl tɪˌtud, -ˌtyud)

n.

1. the height of a thing above a given planetary reference plane, esp. above sea level on earth.

2. extent or distance upward; height.

3. the angular distance of a heavenly body above the horizon.

a. the perpendicular distance from the vertex of a geometric figure to the side opposite the vertex.

b. the line through the vertex of a geometric figure perpendicular to the base.

5. Usu., altitudes. a high region.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin altitūdō; see alti-, -tude]

al`ti•tu′di•nal, adj.

syn: See height.

al·ti·tude

(ăl′tĭ-to͞od′)

1. The height of a thing above a reference level, usually above sea level or the Earth's surface.

2. Astronomy The vertical angle between a celestial object and the horizon, as seen by the observer. Altitude and azimuth are the coordinates used to navigate with respect to the stars.

3. Mathematics The perpendicular distance from the base of a geometric figure, such as a triangle, to the opposite vertex, side, or surface.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

altitude

The vertical distance of a level, a point or an object considered as a point, measured from mean sea level. See also density altitude; drop altitude; elevation; minimum safe altitude; pressure altitude; transition altitude; true altitude.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	altitude - elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface; "the altitude gave her a headache" height elevation - distance of something above a reference point (such as sea level); "there was snow at the higher elevations" level - height above ground; "the water reached ankle level"; "the pictures were at the same level" ceiling - (meteorology) altitude of the lowest layer of clouds ceiling - maximum altitude at which a plane can fly (under specified conditions)
	2.	altitude - the perpendicular distance from the base of a geometric figure to the opposite vertex (or side if parallel) distance, length - size of the gap between two places; "the distance from New York to Chicago"; "he determined the length of the shortest line segment joining the two points"
	3.	altitude - angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object) ALT, EL, elevation angular position - relation by which any position with respect to any other position is established

altitude

noun height, summit, peak, elevation, loftiness The next day I ran my first race at high altitude.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

altitude

noun

The distance of something from a given level:

elevation, height.

Translations

عُلُوّمِقْياس الإرْتِفَاع

nadmořská výškavýška

højde

alteco

korkeus

visina

hæî yfir sjávarmáli

altitudine altezza

高度

고도

aukštis virš jūros lygio

augstums

nadmorská výška

höjd

ความสูงเหนือพื้นดินหรือเหนือน้ำทะเล

irtifa yükseklik

độ cao so với mặt biển

海拔高度海拔

altitude

[ˈæltɪtjuːd]

A. N → altitud f, altura f
at these altitudes → a estas altitudes

B. CPD altitude sickness N → mal m de altura, soroche m (LAm)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

altitude

[ˈæltɪtjuːd] n → altitude f
at an altitude of 30,000 ft → à une altitude de 9150 m
at altitude → en altitude
at high altitude → à haute altitude
at low altitude → à basse altitude
to gain altitude → prendre de l'altitude
to lose altitude → perdre de l'altitude altitude sickness, altitude trainingaltitude sickness n → mal m d'altitudealtitude training n → entraînement m en altitude
to do altitude training → s'entraîner en altitude

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

altitude

n → Höhe f; what is our altitude? → in welcher Höhe befinden wir uns?; we are flying at an altitude of … → wir fliegen in einer Höhe von …; at this altitude → in dieser Höhe

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

altitude

[ˈæltɪtjuːd] n → altitudine f, altezza, quota (Geom) → altezza
at these altitudes → a questa altezza
to gain/lose altitude (Aer) → prendere/perdere quota

altitude

(ˈӕltitjuːd) noun

height above sea-level. What is the altitude of the town?

altitude

→ عُلُوّ nadmořská výška højde Höhe υψόμετρο altitud korkeus altitude visina altitudine 高度 고도 hoogte høyde wysokość altitude высота höjd ความสูงเหนือพื้นดินหรือเหนือน้ำทะเล irtifa độ cao so với mặt biển 海拔高度

altitude

n. altitud, altura, elevación.

altitude

n altura, altitud f; high — gran altura or altitud; at high — en altura or altitud

References in classic literature ?

He had asked the landlady the altitude of her place above the level of the lake, and she told him fourteen hundred and ninety-five feet.

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Speed--that's what's needed, and so are the large sustaining surfaces for getting started and for altitude. I've got them both.

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The admirable purity and transparency of the atmosphere in this region, allowing objects to be seen, and the report of firearms to be heard, at an astonishing distance; and its extreme dryness, causing the wheels of wagons to fall in pieces, as instanced in former passages of this work, are proofs of the great altitude of the Rocky Mountain plains.

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Momentarily, Jimmie was sullen with thoughts of a hopeless altitude where grew fruit.

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No sound of conflict reached our ears, for in the rarefied atmosphere of our great altitude no sound wave could penetrate; they were dissipated in thin air far below us.

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At last his keen eyes picked up the ship flying at a considerable altitude far in the east.

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The motor started at a touch and purred sweetly, the buoyancy tanks were well stocked, and the ship answered perfectly to the controls which regulated her altitude. There was nothing needed but a propellor to make her fit for the long voyage to Helium.

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And besides, when a man is elevated in that odd fashion, he has no proper foundation for his superior altitude. Hence, I conclude, that in boasting himself to be high lifted above a whaleman, in that assertion the pirate has no solid basis to stand on.

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From their arrow-slit in the skull, the priests perceived me taking the altitude of the final rib.

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At first the two forces circled at the same altitude, pouring broadside after broadside into each other.

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Some are known to you, such as the thermometer, which gives the internal temperature of the Nautilus; the barometer, which indicates the weight of the air and foretells the changes of the weather; the hygrometer, which marks the dryness of the atmosphere; the storm-glass, the contents of which, by decomposing, announce the approach of tempests; the compass, which guides my course; the sextant, which shows the latitude by the altitude of the sun; chronometers, by which I calculate the longitude; and glasses for day and night, which I use to examine the points of the horizon, when the Nautilus rises to the surface of the waves."

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From the time of Thales of Miletus, in the fifth century B.C., down to that of Copernicus in the fifteenth and Tycho Brahe in the sixteenth century A.D., observations have been from time to time carried on with more or less correctness, until in the present day the altitudes of the lunar mountains have been determined with exactitude.