latitude

Etymology

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French latitude, from Latin lātitūdō (“breadth, width, latitude”), from lātus (“broad, wide”), from older stlātus.

noun

1. (geography, astronomy) The angular distance north or south from a planet's equator, measured along the meridian of that particular point.
   Coordinate term: longitude
2. (geography) An imaginary line (in fact a circumference) around a planet running parallel to the planet's equator.
3. (figurative) The relative freedom from restrictions; scope to do something.
   His parents gave him a great deal of latitude.
4. (astronomy) The angular distance of a heavenly body from the ecliptic.
5. (photography) The extent to which a light-sensitive material can be over- or underexposed and still achieve an acceptable result.
6. Extent or scope; e.g. breadth, width or amplitude.