Altitude Meaning
/ˈælt.ɪˌtjuːd/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe absolute height of a location, usually measured from sea level.
nounA vertical distance.
Sentence Examples
We are cruising at an altitude of 39,000 feet.
The plane climbed to an altitude of 10,000 meters.
The people protested against the low altitude flight training.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The mountain climber measured the ____ with her altimeter to know how far she had climbed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The plane flew at a very high ____ to avoid the storm below.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English, borrowed from Latin altitūdō (“height”), from altus (“high”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth."
— 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
"The technique would involve spraying large amounts of sulfate particles into the Earth’s lower stratosphere at altitudes as high as 12 miles. The scientists propose delivering the sulfates with specially designed high-altitude aircraft, balloons or large naval-style guns."
— 2018 November 23, Matthew Robinson, “Dimming the sun: The answer to global warming?”, in CNN:
"By changing the flying altitude by just couple of thousand feet on fewer than 2% of all scheduled flights, a study by a team of scientists at Imperial College London concludes that the damage to the climate caused by one consequence of aviation could be reduced by as much as 59%."
— 2020 February 16, Francesca Street, “How changing aircraft altitude could cut flight’s climate impact”, in CNN:
"Whoever has an ambition to be heard in a crowd, must press, and squeeze, and thrust, and climb, with indefatigable pains, till he has exalted himself to a certain degree of altitude above them."
— 1704, [Jonathan Swift], A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], →OCLC:
"The man of law began to get into his altitudes."
— 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The mountain climber measured the ____ with her altimeter to know how far she had climbed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The plane flew at a very high ____ to avoid the storm below.