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| e·qua·tor [ i kwáytər ] (plural e·qua·tors) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. geography imaginary circle around Earth: the imaginary great circle around Earth that is the same distance from the North and South Poles and divides Earth into the northern and southern hemispheres
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2. astronomy imaginary circle around astronomical object: the imaginary great circle around an astronomical object that is everywhere the same distance from the Poles
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3. astronomy Same as celestial equator
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4. mathematics circle dividing sphere into two: a circle that divides a sphere or other surface into two equal parts
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| [14th century. Directly or via French< medieval Latin aequator, in aequator diei et noctis "equalizer of day and night" < Latin aequare (see equate)] |