azimuth Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian
    AZ.

WordNet

Az"i*muth noun
Etymology
OE. azimut, F. azimut, fr. Ar. as-sumt, pl. of as-samt a way, or perh., a point of the horizon and a circle extending to it from the zenith, as being the Arabic article: cf. It. azzimutto, Pg. azimuth, and Ar. samt-al-ra's the vertex of the heaven. Cf. Zenith.
Definitions
  1. (Astron. & Geodesy) (a) The quadrant of an azimuth circle. (b) An arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object; as, the azimuth of a star; the azimuth or bearing of a line surveying. ✍ In trigonometrical surveying, it is customary to reckon the azimuth of a line from the south point of the horizon around by the west from 0° to 360°.

Webster 1913