meridian

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: Me=rid=i=an

CIDE DICTIONARY

meridian, a. [F. méridien, L. meridianus pertaining to noon, fr. meridies noon, midday, for older medidies; medius mid, middle + dies day. See Mid, and Diurnal.].

•  Being at, or pertaining to, midday; belonging to, or passing through, the highest point attained by the sun in his diurnal course.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

  "Tables . . . to find the altitude meridian."  [1913 Webster]
•  Pertaining to the highest point or culmination; as, meridian splendor.  [1913 Webster]

meridian, n. [F. méridien. See Meridian, a.].

•  Midday; noon.  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence: The highest point, as of success, prosperity, or the like; culmination.  [1913 Webster]

  "I have touched the highest point of all my greatness,
  And from that full meridian of my glory
  I haste now to my setting."  [1913 Webster]
•  A great circle of the sphere passing through the poles of the heavens and the zenith of a given place. It is crossed by the sun at midday.  [1913 Webster]
•  A great circle on the surface of the earth, passing through the poles and any given place; also, the half of such a circle included between the poles.  [1913 Webster]

  " The planes of the geographical and astronomical meridians coincide. Meridians, on a map or globe, are lines drawn at certain intervals due north and south, or in the direction of the poles."  [1913 Webster]

  "All other knowledge merely serves the concerns of this life, and is fitted to the meridian thereof."  [1913 Webster]

Calculated for the meridian of, or fitted to the meridian of, or adapted to the meridian of, suited to the local circumstances, capabilities, or special requirements of.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

meridian, n. & adj.
--n.
1 a circle passing through the celestial poles and zenith of any place on the earth's surface.
2 a a circle of constant longitude, passing through a given place and the terrestrial poles. b the corresponding line on a map.
3 archaic the point at which a sun or star attains its highest altitude.
4 prime; full splendour.
--adj.
1 of noon.
2 of the period of greatest splendour, vigour, etc.

Etymology

ME f. OF meridien or L meridianus (adj.) f. meridies midday f. medius middle + dies day

THESAURUS

meridian

Antarctic Zone, Arctic Circle, Arctic Zone, Frigid Zones, Lambert conformal projection, Mercator projection, Miller projection, Torrid Zone, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Variable Zones, acmatic, acme, aeronautical chart, apex, aphelion, apical, apogee, astronomical chart, astronomical longitude, atlas, autumnal equinox, azimuthal equidistant projection, azimuthal projection, brow, cap, capital, cartographer, cartography, celestial chart, celestial equator, celestial globe, celestial longitude, celestial meridian, chart, chief, chorographer, chorography, circle, climate, climatic chart, climax, clime, cloud nine, colures, conic projection, consummate, contour line, contour map, crest, crown, culmen, culmination, cylindrical projection, ecliptic, edge, eight bells, equator, equinoctial, equinoctial circle, equinoctial colure, equinox, extreme limit, extremity, galactic longitude, general reference map, geocentric longitude, geodetic longitude, globe, gnomonic projection, graphic scale, great circle, grid line, hachure, head, headmost, heaven, heavens, height, heliocentric longitude, heliographic chart, high noon, highest, highest pitch, highest point, horse latitudes, hydrographic chart, index, isoline, latitude, layer tint, legend, limit, longitude, longitude in arc, map, map maker, map projection, mapper, maximal, maximum, meridiem, meridional, midday, mountaintop, ne plus ultra, no place higher, noon, noonday, nooning, noonish, noonlight, noonlit, noontide, noontime, orbit, overmost, parallel, paramount, peak, perigee, perihelion, period, photogrammetrist, photogrammetry, photomap, phototopography, physical map, pinnacle, pitch, point, pole, political map, polyconic projection, preeminent, prime meridian, projection, relief map, representative fraction, ridge, road map, roaring forties, scale, seventh heaven, sinusoidal projection, sky, small circle, solstitial colure, special map, spire, subtropics, summit, summital, supreme, terrain map, terrestrial globe, the line, thematic map, tip, tip-top, top, topmost, topographer, topographic chart, topography, trajectory, transportation map, tropic, tropics, ultimate, upmost, upper extremity, uppermost, utmost, vernal equinox, vertex, vertical, very top, weather chart, weather map, zenith, zenithal, zodiac, zone

ROGET THESAURUS

meridian

Morning

N morning, morn, forenoon, a, m, prime, dawn, daybreak, dayspring, foreday, sunup, peep of day, break of day, aurora, first blush of the morning, first flush of the morning, prime of the morning, twilight, crepuscule, sunrise, cockcrow, cockcrowing, the small hours, the wee hours of the morning, spring, vernal equinox, first point of Aries, noon, midday, noonday, noontide, meridian, prime, nooning, noontime, summer, midsummer, matin, matutinal, vernal, at sunrise, with the sun, with the lark, when the morning dawns, at shut of evening flowers, entre chien et loup, flames in the forehead of the morning sky, the breezy call of incense-breathing morn.

Region

N region, sphere, ground, soil, area, field, realm, hemisphere, quarter, district, beat, orb, circuit, circle, reservation, pale, compartment, department, clearing, (property) &c 780 (Government), 1 arena, precincts, enceinte, walk, march, patch, plot, parcel, inclosure, close, field, court, enclave, reserve, preserve, street, clime, climate, zone, meridian, latitude, biosphere, lithosphere, territorial, local, parochial, provincial, regional.

Summit

N summit, summity, top, peak, vertex, apex, zenith, pinnacle, acme, culmination, meridian, utmost height, ne plus utra, height, pitch, maximum, climax, culminating point, crowning point, turning point, turn of the tide, fountain head, water shed, water parting, sky, pole, tip, tip top, crest, crow's nest, cap, truck, nib, end, crown, brow, head, nob, noddle, pate, capsheaf, high places, heights, topgallant mast, sky scraper, quarter deck, hurricane deck, architrave, frieze, cornice, coping stone, zoophorus, capital, epistyle, sconce, pediment, entablature, tympanum, ceiling, attic, loft, garret, house top, upper story, summit conference, summit, peak of achievement, peak of performance, peaks and troughs, peaks and valleys (in graphs), highest &c (high), top, top most, upper most, tiptop, culminating, meridian, meridional, capital, head, polar, supreme, supernal, topgallant, atop, at the top of the tree, en flute, fleur deau, summit, summity, top, peak, vertex, apex, zenith, pinnacle, acme, culmination, meridian, utmost height, ne plus utra, height, pitch, maximum, climax, culminating point, crowning point, turning point, turn of the tide, fountain head, water shed, water parting, sky, pole, tip, tip top, crest, crow's nest, cap, truck, nib, end, crown, brow, head, nob, noddle, pate, capsheaf, high places, heights, topgallant mast, sky scraper, quarter deck, hurricane deck, architrave, frieze, cornice, coping stone, zoophorus, capital, epistyle, sconce, pediment, entablature, tympanum, ceiling, attic, loft, garret, house top, upper story, summit conference, summit, peak of achievement, peak of performance, peaks and troughs, peaks and valleys (in graphs), highest &c (high), top, top most, upper most, tiptop, culminating, meridian, meridional, capital, head, polar, supreme, supernal, topgallant, atop, at the top of the tree, en flute, fleur deau.

Light

N light, ray, beam, stream, gleam, streak, pencil, sunbeam, moonbeam, aurora, day, sunshine, light of day, light of heaven, moonlight, starlight, sunlight, daylight, broad daylight, noontide light, noontide, noonday, noonday sun, glow, glimmering, glint, play of light, flood of light, phosphorescence, lambent flame, flush, halo, glory, nimbus, aureola, spark, scintilla, facula, sparkling, emication, scintillation, flash, blaze, coruscation, fulguration, flame, lightning, levin, ignis fatuus, luster, sheen, shimmer, reflexion, reflection, gloss, tinsel, spangle, brightness, brilliancy, splendor, effulgence, refulgence, fulgor, fulgidity, dazzlement, resplendence, transplendency, luminousness, luminosity, lucidity, renitency, nitency, radiance, radiation, irradiation, illumination, actinic rays, actinism, Roentgen-ray, Xray, photography, heliography, photometer, optics, photology, photometry, dioptrics, catoptrics, chiaroscuro, clairobscur, clear obscure, breadth, light and shade, black and white, tonality, reflection, refraction, dispersion, refractivity, shining, luminous, luminiferous, lucid, lucent, luculent, lucific, luciferous, light, lightsome, bright, vivid, splendent, nitid, lustrous, shiny, beamy, scintillant, radiant, lambent, sheen, sheeny, glossy, burnished, glassy, sunny, orient, meridian, noonday, tide, cloudless, clear, unclouded, unobscured, gairish, garish, resplendent, transplendent, refulgent, effulgent, fulgid, fulgent, relucent, splendid, blazing, in a blaze, ablaze, rutilant, meteoric, phosphorescent, aglow, bright as silver, light as day, bright as day, light as noonday, bright as noonday, bright as the sun at noonday, actinic, photogenic, graphic, heliographic, heliophagous, a day for gods to stoop and men to soar, dark with excessive bright.