Longitude

—In geography and navigation, the are or distance east or west on the earth’s surface intercepted between the meridian of a given place and the meridian of some other place from which longitude is reckoned, usually from Green wich, England, but also, Sometimes, from the capital of a country, as from Washington or Paris. The longitude of a place is expre ed either in degrees or in time; as, that of New York is 74° or 4 h. 56 min. west of Green wich.