equator

/iˈkweɪɾər/

/ɛˈkweɪtə/

Other forms: equators

An equator is a circle that divides the surface of an object into two equal halves. If you're freezing up there in Iceland, get yourself on down closer to the earth's equator, where it's nice and warm.

An equator is an invisible line that divides a globe into two parts, north and south. To remember equator, recall the root "equa" from the Latin word aequus, meaning "equal." An equator makes things "equal." If you drew a line that divided a globe into two parts that were not equal, the line couldn't be called an equator. If you live at the North Pole and you're buddy lives at the South, meet halfway, somewhere along the equator—perhaps in Brazil, for Carnaval.

Definitions of equator

1. noun

   an imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant from the north and south poles
   “the equator is the boundary between the northern and southern hemispheres”

   type of:

   great circle

   a circular line on the surface of a sphere formed by intersecting it with a plane passing through the center
2. noun

   a circle dividing a sphere or other surface into two usually equal and symmetrical parts
   type of:

   circle

   ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point