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
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
