Definition: Elevation
From New World Encyclopedia
Etymology
From Old French elevation, from Latin elevatio, equal to elevate + -ion.
Noun
elevation (countable and uncountable, plural elevations)
- The act of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher; -- said of material things, persons, the mind, the voice, etc.
- Condition of being elevated; heightened; exaltation.
- That which is raised up or elevated; an elevated place or station
- A hill is an elevation of the ground.
- (astronomy) The distance of a celestial object above the horizon, or the arc of a vertical circle intercepted between it and the horizon; altitude.
- the elevation of the pole, or of a star.
- The measured vertical distance from the peak of a mountain or hill to its bordering lowlands.
- The movement of the axis of a piece in a vertical plane; also, the angle of elevation, that is, the angle between the axis of the piece and the line of sight; -- distinguished from direction.
- (architecture) A geometrical projection of a building, or other object, on a plane perpendicular to the horizon; orthographic projection on a vertical plane; -- called by the ancients the orthography.
- (Christianity, chiefly Roman Catholicism) The raising of the Host - representing Christ's body - in a mass or Holy Communion service.
Derived terms
- angle of elevation
Related terms
- elevate
- elevator
- overelevation
Credits
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