1.
[syn: celestial equator, equinoctial circle, equinoctial line, equinoctial]
ADJECTIVE (2)
1. relating to the vicinity of the equator;
2. relating to an equinox (when the lengths of night and day are equal);
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Equator \E*qua"tor\, n. [L. aequator one who equalizes: cf. F.
['e]quateur equator. See Equate.]
1. (Geog.) The imaginary great circle on the earth's surface,
everywhere equally distant from the two poles, and
dividing the earth's surface into two hemispheres.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Astron.) The great circle of the celestial sphere,
coincident with the plane of the earth's equator; -- so
called because when the sun is in it, the days and nights
are of equal length; hence called also the equinoctial,
and on maps, globes, etc., the equinoctial line.
[1913 Webster]
Equator of the sun or Equator of a planet (Astron.), the
great circle whose plane passes through through the center
of the body, and is perpendicular to its axis of
revolution.
Magnetic equator. See Aclinic.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Equinoctial \E`qui*noc"tial\, a. [L. aequinoctials, fr.
aequinoctium equinox: cf. F. ['e]quinoxial. See Equinox.]
1. Pertaining to an equinox, or the equinoxes, or to the time
of equal day and night; as, the equinoctial line.
[1913 Webster]
2. Pertaining to the regions or climate of the equinoctial
line or equator; in or near that line; as, equinoctial
heat; an equinoctial sun.
[1913 Webster]
3. Pertaining to the time when the sun enters the equinoctial
points; as, an equinoctial gale or storm, that is, one
happening at or near the time of the equinox, in any part
of the world.
[1913 Webster]
Equinoctial colure (Astron.), the meridian passing through
the equinoctial points.
Equinoctial line (Astron.), the celestial equator; -- so
called because when the sun is on it, the nights and days
are of equal length in all parts of the world. See
Equator.
[1913 Webster]
Thrice the equinoctial line
He circled. --Milton.
Equinoctial points (Astron.), the two points where the
celestial and ecliptic intersect each other; the one being
in the first point of Aries, the other in the first point
of Libra.
Equinoctial time (Astron.) reckoned in any year from the
instant when the mean sun is at the mean vernal
equinoctial point.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Equinoctial \E`qui*noc"tial\, n.
The equinoctial line.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
equinoctial
adj 1: relating to the vicinity of the equator
2: relating to an equinox (when the lengths of night and day are
equal)
n 1: the great circle on the celestial sphere midway between the
celestial poles [syn: celestial equator, equinoctial
circle, equinoctial line, equinoctial]