Prime Meridian

Pronunciation: /praɪm məˈrɪdiən/

Definitions of prime meridian

noun An imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, starting at the North Pole and passing through Greenwich, England.

Example Sentences

A1 The prime meridian is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

A2 Students in geography class learned about the prime meridian and how it relates to time zones.

B1 The prime meridian passes through Greenwich, England, and is used as the starting point for measuring longitude.

B2 Navigators used the prime meridian to determine their position at sea before the invention of GPS.

C1 The establishment of the prime meridian at Greenwich was agreed upon at the International Meridian Conference in 1884.

C2 Modern technology has made it easier to accurately determine the exact location of the prime meridian.

Examples of prime meridian in a Sentence

formal The prime meridian is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere.

informal Hey, did you know that the prime meridian runs through Greenwich, England?

slang The prime meridian is like the center line that splits the globe in half.

figurative In a way, the prime meridian acts as the Earth's starting point for measuring longitude.

Grammatical Forms of prime meridian

• plural: prime meridians
• comparative: more prime
• superlative: most prime
• present tense: is prime meridian
• future tense: will be prime meridian
• perfect tense: has been prime meridian
• continuous tense: is being prime meridian
• singular: prime meridian
• positive degree: prime
• infinitive: to be prime meridian
• gerund: being prime meridian
• participle: prime meridian

Origin and Evolution of prime meridian

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The concept of a prime meridian was first proposed by the Greek mathematician and geographer, Claudius Ptolemy, in the 2nd century AD.

Evolution of the word: The term 'prime meridian' has retained its original meaning of the meridian from which all other meridians are measured, but its usage has become more standardized and widely accepted in the field of geography and cartography.