equator
Pronunciation: /ɪˈkweɪtə/
noun
- a line notionally drawn on the earth equidistant from the poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°.
- Astronomyshort for celestial equator.
Origin:
late Middle English: from medieval Latin aequator, in the phrase circulus aequator diei et noctis 'circle equalizing day and night', from Latin aequare 'make equal' (see equate)