Equator

How to spell equator

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce equator

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does equator mean?

1. nounThe imaginary line around the middle of the Earth, equidistant from both poles, dividing it into northern and southern hemispheres.

Equator in a sentence

• The flight crossed the equator somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.

• Countries near the equator tend to have hot, humid climates year round.

Where does equator come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Medieval Latin aequator, which literally meant 'one that makes equal', formed from the verb aequare 'to make equal or level' and ultimately from the adjective aequus, meaning 'equal, even or level'. The full Latin phrase was aequator diei et noctis, 'the equaliser of day and night', because anyone standing on this imaginary line around the Earth experiences days and nights of roughly equal length all year round. English adopted the term in the late 1300s, at first in an astronomical sense for the celestial equator before it settled on the familiar terrestrial circle. The same aequus root sits inside everyday relatives such as 'equal', 'equity' and 'adequate', which is a useful reminder that the word keeps the EQU spelling rather than any 'eck' form. The final -or ending, rather than -er, is the lasting fingerprint of that Latin agent noun aequator.

How the word is built

• equat- (from Latin aequare: to make equal)
• -or (agent/noun suffix)