meridian

longitude line / peak / zenith

[C/U] Both

pl: meridians

This term evokes a sense of absolute verticality and peak alignment. In geography, it serves as a rigid anchor for global coordination, representing a precise, invisible boundary that slices the world into halves. It carries a clinical, scientific tone associated with navigation and cartography. When used to describe a state of being, it shifts toward a feeling of zenith or culmination. It describes a moment of maximum intensity or success before a natural decline begins, creating a mental image of the sun at its highest point in the sky.

Countable when referring to a specific longitudinal line on a map. Uncountable when referring to the abstract state of being at a peak of power.

Meanings

Nounlongitude line

An imaginary circle passing through the North and South poles and a specific longitude.

"The Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich."

Nounpeak

"The empire had reached its meridian in the second century."

Nounzenith

"The 180th meridian marks the International Date Line."

Last Updated: June 8, 2026•Report an Error