noun
equator
ih-KWAY-tuh
noun
1
The imaginary line around the middle of the Earth, equally distant from the North and South Poles, dividing it into two hemispheres.
"The country straddles the equator, with parts in both hemispheres."
"Temperatures near the equator stay warm all year round."
How to Use Equator
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe imaginary belt around the middle of the Earth that splits it into a northern and southern half.
Common pairings
cross the equator
near the equator
north of the equator
Word Forms
equators plural
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The country straddles the _____, with parts in both hemispheres.
Etymology
From Late Latin (circulus) aequator, "the equalizer (of day and night)."