Phrase guide

prime meridian

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The reference line at 0° longitude, passing through Greenwich, England, from which longitude east and west is measured.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Greenwich meridian, zero meridian

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

meridian at zero degree longitude from which east and west are reckoned (usually the Greenwich longitude in England)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: meridian, line of longitude

Narrower terms: Greenwich Meridian

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَطّ الزَّوَال (ḵaṭṭ az-zawāl) — reference line
  • Arabic: خَطّ الطُّول الرَّئِيسِيّ (ḵaṭṭ aṭ-ṭūl ar-raʔīsiyy) — reference line
  • Arabic: خَطّ غَرِينِيتْش (ḵaṭṭ ḡarīnītš) — reference line
  • Catalan: meridià zero — reference line
  • Chinese Mandarin: 本初子午線 /本初子午线 (běnchū zǐwǔxiàn) — reference line
  • Chinese Mandarin: 格林威治子午線 /格林威治子午线 (Gélínwēizhì zǐwǔxiàn) — reference line
  • Chinese Mandarin: 格林尼治子午線 /格林尼治子午线 (Gélínnízhì zǐwǔxiàn) — reference line
  • Dutch: nulmeridiaan — reference line
  • Finnish: nollameridiaani — reference line
  • French: premier méridien — reference line
  • French: méridien d’origine — reference line
  • Georgian: გრინვიჩის მერიდიანი (grinvičis meridiani) — reference line
  • Georgian: ნულოვანი მერიდიანი (nulovani meridiani) — reference line
  • Georgian: საწყისი მერიდიანი (sac̣q̇isi meridiani) — reference line
  • German: Nullmeridian — reference line
  • Hindi: प्रधान मध्याह्न रेखा (pradhān madhyāhna rekhā) — reference line
  • Hungarian: kezdő délkör — reference line
  • Italian: meridiano zero — reference line
  • Moore: bĩin-lu-tikdga — reference line
  • Portuguese: meridiano primário — reference line
  • Portuguese: meridiano principal — reference line
  • Romanian: primul meridian — reference line
  • Russian: Гри́нвичский меридиа́н (Grínvičskij meridián) — reference line
  • Spanish: meridiano cero — reference line
  • Swedish: nollmeridian — reference line
  • Vietnamese: kinh tuyến gốc — reference line
  • Welsh: prif feridian — reference line