🧭 Latitude: A Little Wiggle Room
LATITUDE most nearly means: A) rigidity; B) precision; C) leeway; D) altitude. Answer inside. 👉️
We learn in school that latitude refers to the imaginary lines on a globe. Specifically, lines of latitude run east-west and are used to measure how far north or south a place is from the Equator.
But latitude has another meaning that’s also useful: freedom, leeway, or flexibility.
For example, a host planning a party might tell a friend,
“I’ll give you plenty of latitude to decide what dishes to serve; I trust your culinary instincts on this!”
In other words, you’re free to make the decision yourself, and you have room to use your own judgment.
📚️ Definition of Latitude
Latitude (noun): Freedom to act, choose, or stray from the usual rules; room for flexibility or discretion, e.g., broad latitude to design the project. In geography, latitude also means the distance of a place north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Latitude
IPA: /ˈlæt.ɪ.tud/ (See IPA key)
Phonetic: LAT-ih-tood
📰 Examples of Latitude
Here are some examples of the word latitude:
I love it when the teacher gives us latitude in choosing topics to write about, but I know some of my friends prefer to be assigned a topic so that they don’t have to think too much.
I once knew a man who had great wit, but no judgment; however, his acquaintances gave him great latitude because of his cleverness.
“The zero-degree parallel of latitude is fixed by the laws of nature, while the zero-degree meridian of longitude shifts like the sands of time. This difference makes finding latitude child’s play, and turns the determination of longitude, especially at sea, into an adult dilemma – one that stumped the wisest minds of the world for the better part of human history.” — Dava Sobel, Longitude (1995)
🗣️ Common Collocations of Latitude
A collocation is a group of words often found together in usage, for example figment of one’s imagination, extenuating circumstances, or inclement weather.
wide latitude
considerable latitude
give (someone) latitude
a degree of latitude
latitude and longitude
Quiz answer: C, leeway.