meridian

[muh-rid-ee-uh n] /məˈrɪd i ən/
noun
1.
Geography.
  1. a great circle of the earth passing through the poles and any given point on the earth's surface.
  2. the half of such a circle included between the poles.
2.
Astronomy. the great circle of the celestial sphere that passes through its poles and the observer's zenith.
3.
a point or period of highest development, greatest prosperity, or the like.
4.
(in acupuncture) any of the pathways in the body along which vital energy flows.
adjective
5.
of or pertaining to a meridian.
6.
of or pertaining to midday or noon:
the meridian hour.
7.
of or indicating a period of greatest prosperity, splendor, success, etc.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin merīdiānus of noon, equivalent to merīdi(ēs) midday (formed from the locative merīdiē at midday, by dissimilation < *medī diē; medius mid1, diēs day) + -ānus -an

Meridian

[muh-rid-ee-uh n] /məˈrɪd i ən/
noun
1.
a city in E Mississippi.
Examples from the web for meridian
  • He wrote a treatise on geometrical problems and another on the drawing of the meridian.
  • Slightly developed, it was crossed by another ring fixed in the plane of the meridian.
British Dictionary definitions for meridian

meridian

/məˈrɪdɪən/
noun
1.
  1. one of the imaginary lines joining the north and south poles at right angles to the equator, designated by degrees of longitude from 0° at Greenwich to 180°
  2. the great circle running through both poles See prime meridian
2.
(astronomy)
  1. the great circle on the celestial sphere passing through the north and south celestial poles and the zenith and nadir of the observer
  2. (as modifier): a meridian instrument
3.
(maths) Also called meridian section. a section of a surface of revolution, such as a paraboloid, that contains the axis of revolution
4.
the peak; zenith: the meridian of his achievements
5.
(in acupuncture, etc) any of the channels through which vital energy is believed to circulate round the body
6.
(obsolete) noon
adjective
7.
along or relating to a meridian
8.
of or happening at noon
9.
relating to the peak of something
Word Origin
C14: from Latin merīdiānus of midday, from merīdiēs midday, from mediusmid1 + diēs day
Word Origin and History for meridian
n.

mid-14c., "noon," from Old French meridien "of the noon time, midday; the Meridian; southerner" (12c.), and directly from Latin meridianus "of midday, of noon, southerly, to the south," from meridies "noon, south," from meridie "at noon," altered by dissimilation from pre-Latin *medi die, locative of medius "mid-" (see medial (adj.)) + dies "day" (see 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).

meridian in Medicine

meridian me·rid·i·an (mə-rĭd'ē-ən)
n.

  1. An imaginary line encircling a globular body at right angles to its equator and passing through its poles.

  2. Either half of such a great circle from pole to pole.

  3. Any of the longitudinal lines or pathways on the body along which the acupuncture points are distributed.

meridian in Science
meridian
  (mə-rĭd'ē-ən)   

  1. An imaginary line forming a great circle that passes through the Earth's North and South geographic poles.

  2. Either half of such a circle from pole to pole. All the places on the same meridian have the same longitude. See illustration at longitude.

  3. See celestial meridian.


meridian in Culture
meridian [(muh-rid-ee-uhn)]

A great imaginary circle on the surface of the Earth that runs north and south through the North Pole and South Pole. Longitude is measured on meridians: places on a meridian have the same longitude. (See prime meridian.)

Encyclopedia Article for meridian

Meridian

city, seat of Lauderdale county, eastern Mississippi, U.S., lying 93 miles (150 km) east of Jackson. In 1854 the site was chosen as the junction of the Vicksburg and Montgomery and the Mobile and Ohio railway lines about 20 miles (30 km) from the Alabama border. The name was chosen by a settler who thought "meridian" meant "junction," or, possibly, "zenith." During the American Civil War it was a Confederate military camp and served as the state capital for one month in 1863. General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union troops destroyed the city the following February. Merrehope is a surviving stately 20-room antebellum mansion; the city's Grand Opera House dates from 1890. Major manufactures include audio equipment, paper products, automotive parts, and steel products. Meridian Community College was opened in 1937; the city also has a branch campus of Mississippi State University. A naval air station is 15 miles (25 km) northeast. Okatibbee Dam and Lake are 10 miles (15 km) northwest; Clarkco State Park is 20 miles (30 km) south

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