Definition

The angle that measures how far a point is from the equator, calculated as the difference between that point's latitude and 90 degrees.

Example

To find the colatitude of a location, subtract its latitude from 90 degrees.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of the term colatitude?

I think so, but I'm not exactly sure what it means.

It's basically the complement of latitude, you know, like the difference from 90 degrees.

Oh, that makes sense! Thanks for explaining it.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Colatitude is formed from "co-" (meaning together) and "latitude" (from Latin "latitudo", meaning width or breadth). The term refers to the angular distance from the poles, indicating a position together with respect to the equator's width.

Memory Tip

Think of 'together' ('co-') and the 'width' ('latitude') of the Earth — colatitude describes a position in relation to the Earth's width.

Visually Confused Words