longitudinal

From Middle English longitudinal, from Latin longitūdin-, oblique stem of longitūdō (“length, longitude”), equivalent to longitude +‎ -al.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌlɒŋɡɪˈt͡juːdɪnl̥/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /ˌlɔŋɡɪˈt͡ʃʉwdɪnəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌlɑnd͡ʒəˈtuːdənəl/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /lɔŋɡəˈt͡ʃʉːdənəl/

longitudinal (not comparable)

1. Relating to length.

   Antonym: transverse

   The motion about the longitudinal axis of an airplane is called roll.

2. Relating to the geographical longitude.

   The longitudinal position of a ship refers to its angular distance east or west from the prime meridian.

3. Running in the direction of the long axis of a body.
   • 1960 November, “New electric multiple-units for British Railways: Glasgow Suburban”, in Trains Illustrated, page 660:

     The units have transverse seats, two and three astride the passageway with single or double longitudinal seats alongside the two entrance vestibules in each car.

   • 2008, Youlian Hong, Roger Bartlett, editors, Routledge Handbook of Biomechanics and Human Movement Science, Routledge, →ISBN, page 165:

     The third rotation is about the longitudinal axis of the thigh.

   • 2023 February 22, Paul Stephen, “TfL reveals first of new B23s for Docklands Light Railway”, in RAIL, number 977, page 12:

     Unlike the older trains, the new units have walk-through carriages and longitudinal rather than transverse seating.

4. Forward and/or backward, relative to some defined direction.
5. (sciences and social sciences, of a study) Sampling data over time rather than merely once.

   Antonym: cross-sectional

   longitudinal studies

   • 2010 March 1, Don Peck, “How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America”, in The Atlantic‎:

     Examining national longitudinal data, Mossakowski has found that people who were unemployed for long periods in their teens or early 20s are far more likely to develop a habit of heavy drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) by the time they approach middle age.

longitudinal (plural longitudinals)

1. Any longitudinal piece, as in shipbuilding etc.
2. (rail transport) A railway sleeper lying parallel with the rail.

From Latin longitūdō, longitūdinis (whence longitude) + -al.

• IPA^(key): /lɔ̃.ʒi.ty.di.nal/

• Audio

  (file)

longitudinal (feminine longitudinale, masculine plural longitudinaux, feminine plural longitudinales)

1. longitudinal (relating to length; running in the direction of the long axis of a body)
2. longitudinal (relating to longitude)

   Coordinate term: latitudinal

3. longitudinal (sampling data over time rather than merely once)

   Coordinate term: transversal

• longitudinalement

• “longitudinal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Borrowed from French longitudinal.

longitudinal m or n (feminine singular longitudinală, masculine plural longitudinali, feminine and neuter plural longitudinale)

1. longitudinal

• IPA^(key): /lonxitudiˈnal/ [lõŋ.xi.t̪u.ð̞iˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: lon‧gi‧tu‧di‧nal

longitudinal m or f (masculine and feminine plural longitudinales)

1. longitudinal (relating to length or longitude)
2. longitudinal (sampling data over time)
   • 2001, Psicología infantil, Grupo Planeta (GBS) →ISBN, page 80

     El número de años que requiere un estudio longitudinal puede variar considerablemente.

     The number of years required by a longitudinal study may vary considerably.

• “longitudinal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014