longitudinal: Meaning and Definition of

lon•gi•tu•di•nal

Pronunciation: (lon"ji-td'n-l, -tyd'-), [key]
— adj.
  1. of or pertaining to longitude or length: longitudinal measurement.
  2. extending in the direction of the length of a thing; running lengthwise: a thin, longitudinal stripe.
  3. pertaining to or extending along the long axis of the body, or the direction from front to back, or head to tail.
  4. pertaining to a research design or survey in which the same subjects are observed repeatedly over a period of time.
—n.
  1. a longitudinal framing member, as in the hull of a ship.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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