latitude

1. (geography, astronomy, countable) The angular distance north or south from a planet's equator, measured along the meridian of that particular point.Examples: "The oat is hardier than wheat, and ripens in higher latitudes."; "Far from the center of Shang civilization, Wu-ch'eng is located well south of the Yangtze at approximately the same latitude as Ch'ang-sha in the west and Wen-chou in the east."countable

2. (geography) An imaginary line (in the form of a circumference) around a planet running parallel to the planet's equator.Synonyms: parallelcountableuncountable

3. (figurative) The relative freedom from restrictions; scope to do something.Examples: "His parents gave him a great deal of latitude."; ""Love!" ejaculated the Comtesse; "And so throw away the chances of a life upon a month of honey!—I say a month, which is allowing a latitude tenderness never took..."countablefigurativelyuncountable

4. (astronomy) The angular distance of a heavenly body from the ecliptic.countableuncountable

5. (photography) The extent to which a light-sensitive material can be over- or underexposed and still achieve an acceptable result.countableuncountable