elevation

/ˈɛləˌveɪʃən/

/ɛlɛˈveɪʃən/

Other forms: elevations

An elevation is a rise or the raising of something. Mountains have an elevation based on how high they are and your mood has an elevation as you get happier.

Elevation is a noun that tells how high something is raised above a surface or ground line. It's also a term for measuring things like temperatures or degrees. Your body temperature might have an elevation if you have the flu, just as the elevation of a hill increases as it gets steeper. Buildings have an elevation too: The front of a building from top to bottom is its front elevation of the structure.

Definitions of elevation

1. noun

   distance of something above a reference point (such as sea level)
   “there was snow at the higher elevations”

   types:

   isometry

   equality of elevation above sea level

   altitude, height

   elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface

   grade, ground level

   the height of the ground on which something stands

   water level

   the level of the surface of a body of water

   level

   height above ground

   sea level

   level of the ocean's surface (especially that halfway between mean high and low tide); used as a standard in reckoning land elevation or sea depth

   ceiling

   (meteorology) altitude of the lowest layer of clouds

   ceiling

   maximum altitude at which a plane can fly (under specified conditions)

   type of:

   distance

   the property created by the space between two objects or points
2. noun

   angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
   synonyms: ALT, EL, altitude

   type of:

   angular position

   relation by which any position with respect to any other position is established
3. noun

   (ballet) the height of a dancer's leap or jump
   “a dancer of exceptional elevation”

   type of:

   leap

   the distance leaped (or to be leaped)
4. noun

   a raised or elevated geological formation
   synonyms: eminence, natural elevation

   types:

   highland, upland

   elevated (e.g., mountainous) land

   hill

   a local and well-defined elevation of the land

   mount, mountain

   a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

   foreland, head, headland, promontory

   a natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out into the sea)

   ridge

   a long narrow natural elevation or striation

   swell

   a rounded elevation (especially one on an ocean floor)

   alp

   any high mountain

   bank

   a long ridge or pile

   bar

   a submerged (or partly submerged) ridge in a river or along a shore

   ben

   a mountain or tall hill

   butte

   a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding region; has a flat top and sloping sides

   down

   (usually plural) a rolling treeless highland with little soil

   dune, sand dune

   a ridge of sand created by the wind; found in deserts or near lakes and oceans

   esker

   (geology) a long winding ridge of post glacial gravel and other sediment; deposited by meltwater from glaciers or ice sheets

   foothill

   a relatively low hill on the lower slope of a mountain

   hammock, hillock, hummock, knoll, mound

   a small natural hill

   ledge, shelf

   a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water

   mull

   a term used in Scottish names of promontories

   point

   a promontory extending out into a large body of water

   reef

   a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water

   ripple mark

   one of a series of small ridges produced in sand by water currents or by wind

   seamount

   an underwater mountain rising above the ocean floor

   plateau, tableland

   a relatively flat raised area of land

   tor

   a high rocky hill

   volcano

   a mountain formed by volcanic material

   type of:

   formation, geological formation

   (geology) the geological features of the earth
5. noun

   the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
   synonyms: acme, height, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, superlative, tiptop, top, zenith

   type of:

   degree, level, point, stage

   a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process
6. noun

   the event of something being raised upward
   “an elevation of the temperature in the afternoon”

   synonyms: lift, raising

   type of:

   ascension, ascent, rise, rising

   a movement upward
7. noun

   the act of increasing the wealth or prestige or power or scope of something
   “his elevation to cardinal”

   synonyms: aggrandisement, aggrandizement

   types:

   ego trip, self-aggrandisement, self-aggrandizement

   an act undertaken to increase your own power and influence or to draw attention to your own importance

   type of:

   increase, step-up

   the act of increasing something
8. noun

   drawing of an exterior of a structure
   type of:

   architectural plan, plan

   scale drawing of a structure