meridian
me·ri·di·an/məˈɹɪ.di.ən/noun, verb, adjective
meridian is spelled M-E-R-I-D-I-A-N: 8 letters and 4 syllables (me·ri·di·an). It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, meridian means “In full celestial meridian: a great circle passing through the poles of the celestial sphere and the zenith for a particular point on the Earth's…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of meridian is meridians.
How many letters and syllables are in meridian?
| Letters | 8: M-E-R-I-D-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: me·ri·di·an |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is meridian?
Meridian appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce meridian?
- UK /məˈɹɪ.dɪ.ən/
- UK /mɪ-/
- US /məˈɹɪ.di.ən/
Meridian has 4 syllables, split me·ri·di·an in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-AcpoKrane-meridian.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with meridian?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as meridian from its last stressed vowel (/ɪdiən/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of meridian
- meridians plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- meridianing participle, present
- meridianed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does meridian mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
In full celestial meridian: a great circle passing through the poles of the celestial sphere and the zenith for a particular point on the Earth's surface.
- 2
In full terrestrial meridian: a great circle on the Earth's surface, passing through the geographic poles (the terrestrial North Pole and South Pole); also, half of such a circle extending from pole to pole, all points of which have the same longitude.
- 3
The place on the celestial meridian where it is crossed by the sun or a star at its highest point.
- 4
The highest or most developed point, or most splendid stage, of something; culmination, peak, zenith.
- 5
Chiefly followed by of: the middle period of someone's life, when they are at their full abilities or strength; one's prime.
- 6
A ring or half-ring with markings in which an artificial globe is installed and may spin.
- 7
A line passing through the poles of any sphere; a notional line on the surface of a curved or round body (in particular, an eyeball).
- 8
USdatedThe size of type between double great primer and canon, standardized as 44-point.
- 9
rareAny of the pathways on the body along which chi or qi (life force) is thought to flow and, therefore, the acupoints are distributed; especially, one of twelve such pathways associated with organs of the body.
verb
- 1
rareTo cause an object to reach the meridian or highest point of (something).
- 2
rareOf a celestial body: to reach its meridian.
adjective
- 1
rareRelating to a meridian (in various senses); meridional.
- 2
rareRelating to midday or noon.
- 3
obsoleterareRelating to the culmination or highest point.
- 4
obsoleterareRelating to the south; meridional, southern.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Meridian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | méridien , trimégiste |
| German | Meridian , Sabon |
| Portuguese | meridiano , meio-dia |
| Spanish | meridiano |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.