Etymograph

English

longitude

Longitude comes from Latin longitūdō ‘length, a measured length’, from longus ‘long’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dlongʰos‘long’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*(d)longos‘long’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElongus‘long’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElongitūdō‘length, a measured length’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400longitude
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1831same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dlongʰos‘long’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*(d)longos‘long’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElongus‘long’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElongitūdō‘length, a measured length’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400longitude
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1831same form

Earliest quotation: 1831, Francis Griffin, Griffin's Remains: “His shoulders are remarkably sloping, giving an appearance of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos ‘long’

along, longer, length, linger, 17 more

through Latin longus ‘long’

lunge, oblong, elongate, elongation, longus, longe, 10 more

Today it means

noun Angular distance measured west or east of the prime meridian.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos / longitude

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