meridian

meridian
meridian (n.) mid-14c., "noon," from O.Fr. meridien "of the noon time, midday; the Meridian; southerner" (12c.), and directly from L. meridianus "of midday, of noon, southerly, to the south," from meridies "noon, south," from meridie "at noon," altered by dissimilation from pre-L. *medi die, locative of medius "mid-" (see MEDIAL (Cf. medial) (adj.)) + dies "day" (see DIURNAL (Cf. diurnal)). Cartographic sense first recorded late 14c. Figurative uses tend to suggest "point of highest development or fullest power."
The city in Mississippi, U.S., was settled 1854 (as Sowashee Station) at a railway junction and given its current name in 1860, supposedly by people who thought meridian meant "junction" (they perhaps confused the word with median).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Meridian — Meridian, or a meridian line may refer to: Contents 1 Earth science 2 United States geography 3 Arts and entertainment …   Wikipedia

  • Meridian (W.I.T.C.H.) — Meridian, also known as Metamoor or Metaworld, is a fictional planet in the comic book series W.I.T.C.H. and in the animated series of the same name. Contents 1 Meridian in the Comics 1.1 Culture and Customs 1.2 Appearance …   Wikipedia

  • meridian — MERIDIÁN, meridiane, s.n., adj. 1. s.n. Fiecare dintre liniile imaginare care rezultă din intersecţia suprafeţei Pământului cu serniplanul sprijinit pe axa geografică, constituind liniile de reper pentru măsurarea longitudinii geografice. ♢… …   Dicționar Român

  • Meridian 59 — Original cover Developer(s) Archetype Interactive (original), Near Death Studios (current) Publisher(s) The 3DO Company (origin …   Wikipedia

  • Meridian — Meridian, NY U.S. village in New York Population (2000): 350 Housing Units (2000): 120 Land area (2000): 0.692018 sq. miles (1.792318 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.692018 sq. miles (1.792318… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Meridian — Me*rid i*an, n. [F. m[ e]ridien. See {Meridian}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Midday; noon. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: The highest point, as of success, prosperity, or the like; culmination. [1913 Webster] I have touched the highest point of all my… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Meridian 2 — Operator VKS Major contractors NPO PM Mission type Communications Launch date 21 May 2009 Carrier rocket Soyuz 2.1a/ …   Wikipedia

  • Meridian 59 — Entwickler Near Death Studio …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Meridian [1] — Meridian. Den Meridian eines Ortes auf der Erde nennt man diejenige Ebene (größten Kreis), die durch die Richtung der Umdrehungsachse der Erde und den Beobachtungspunkt bestimmt wird, die also zugleich durch das Zenit des betreffenden Erdortes… …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Meridian, OK — U.S. town in Oklahoma Population (2000): 54 Housing Units (2000): 31 Land area (2000): 0.198858 sq. miles (0.515041 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.198858 sq. miles (0.515041 sq. km) FIPS code …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Meridian FM — is the community radio station for East Grinstead and the surrounding area.The 50+ volunteers made their first 28 day broadcast in December 2006, followed by another in May and December 2007.Limited to two 28 day restricted service licence FM… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”