longitudinal

adjective

lon·​gi·​tu·​di·​nal ˌlän-jə-ˈtüd-nəl 

-ˈtyüd-,

-ˈt(y)ü-dᵊn-əl,

 British also  ˌläŋ-gə-

1

: placed or running lengthwise

The insect's back is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.

2

: of or relating to length or the lengthwise dimension

the longitudinal extent of the building

3

: involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables

a longitudinal study of juvenile offenders over a period of five years

longitudinally adverb

Examples of longitudinal in a Sentence

The insect's body is black with yellow longitudinal stripes.

calculating the longitudinal position of a ship

a longitudinal study of career aspirations among girls from 5 to 17

Recent Examples on the Web

The wheelbase was stretched out, enabling the engine to rotate 90º from the 308’s transverse layout to a longitudinal one. —Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 11 Dec. 2024

While helpful for longitudinal city benchmarking, this metric does not reflect individual companies or buildings...and that’s where the magic starts. —Phil Kirschner, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Vertical ridges, or longitudinal ridges, are the most common type. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 3 Oct. 2024

Back in 2018, Hale County served as a gentle rebuke to the totalizing, omniscient approach of so many au courant and supposedly objective longitudinal documentaries, movies shot over years that purported to examine and explain the lives of marginalized people. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing longitudinal

• longitudinal wave

Kids Definition

longitudinal

adjective

lon·​gi·​tu·​di·​nal ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-nəl 

-ᵊn-əl

1

: of or relating to length

2

: placed or running lengthwise

longitudinally

-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

longitudinal

adjective

lon·​gi·​tu·​di·​nal

ˌlän-jə-ˈt(y)üd-ᵊn-əl, -nəl, British also ˌläŋ-gə-ˈtyüd-

1

: of, relating to, or occurring in the lengthwise dimension

a longitudinal bone fracture

2

: extending along or relating to the anteroposterior axis of a body or part

a trypanosome which reproduces by longitudinal fission

3

: involving the repeated observation or examination of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables (as general health, the state of a disease, or mortality)

a longitudinal study of heart transplant recipients over a five-year period

longitudinally

-ē 

adverb