height

/haɪt/

/haɪt/

Other forms: heights

The noun height can mean the measurement of something from bottom to top. A pediatrician will measure the height of a child to make sure they are growing at a normal and healthy rate.

Height derives from the Old English word hehthu, meaning "top of something." To measure your height, you measure the distance from the floor to the top of your head. The height of a mountain is its elevation above sea level (the height of Mt. Everest, for instance, is 29,029 feet). Height can also mean the most extreme or intense part of something: The height of cherry blossom season in Japan is late March through early April.

Definitions of height

1. noun

   the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
   synonyms: tallness

   types:

   highness, loftiness

   the quality of being high or lofty

   lowness

   the quality of being low; lacking height

   squatness, stubbiness

   the property of being short and broad

   shortness, truncation

   the property of being truncated or short

   type of:

   dimension

   the magnitude of something in a particular direction (especially length or width or height)
2. noun

   elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
   synonyms: altitude

   types:

   level

   height above ground

   ceiling

   (meteorology) altitude of the lowest layer of clouds

   ceiling

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

   absolute ceiling

   the maximum altitude at which an airplane can maintain horizontal flight

   combat ceiling, service ceiling

   altitude above which a plane cannot climb faster than a given rate

   type of:

   elevation

   distance of something above a reference point (such as sea level)
3. noun

   (of a standing person) the distance from head to foot
   synonyms: stature

   types:

   tallness

   the property of being taller than average stature

   shortness

   the property of being shorter than average stature

   type of:

   bodily property

   an attribute of the body
4. noun

   the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
   “at the height of her career”

   synonyms: acme, elevation, 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