Dictionary

height en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /haɪt/
• hīt
• (US) audio
• /heɪt/ (obsolete)
• hāt (obsolete)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kewk- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *kówkos Proto-Germanic *hauhaz Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂der. Proto-Germanic *-iþō Proto-Germanic *hauhiþō Proto-West Germanic *hauhiþu Old English hīehþu Middle English heighte English height From Middle English heighte, heiȝþe, from Old English hēahþu, hēhþo, hīehþu (“height”), Proto-West Germanic *hauhiþu, from Proto-Germanic *hauhiþō (compare *hauhaz). Equivalent to high + -t (abstract nominal suffix). The regular pronunciation is now obsolete /heɪt/ (as with other words in -eight); the modern form developed early on, at first as a variant, by analogy with the underlying adjective. Cognates See also Saterland Frisian Höchte, Hööchte (“height”), West Frisian hichte (“height”), Dutch hoogte (“height”), Middle High German hœhede, hœhte (“height”), Old Norse hæð (“height”) (compare Swedish höjd, Norwegian høyde), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌹𐌸𐌰 (hauhiþa, “height”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The distance from the base to the top of something.
   • He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […], the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
   • Happiness Makes Up in Height for What It Lacks in Length [title of poem] 1942, Robert Frost, “Happiness Makes Up in Height for What It Lacks in Length”, in A Witness Tree, New York: Henry Hold and Company, published 1943, page 15:
2. (countable, uncountable) The distance from the base to the top of something. ▸ The vertical distance from the ground to the highest part of a standing person or animal (withers in the case of a horse).
   • — What's your height? — 180 centimetres.
3. (countable, uncountable) The distance from the base to the top of something. ▸ The minimum distance from a vertex of a triangle to (the extension of) the edge opposite, namely along a line perpendicular to the edge.
   • The area of a triangle is "a half base times height".
4. (countable, uncountable) The distance from the base to the top of something. ▸ The amplitude of a sinusoid.
5. (countable, uncountable) The distance of something above the ground or some other chosen level.
   • We flew at a height of 15 000 meters.
   • I'm afraid of heights.
6. (countable, uncountable) A high point.
   • The Guardian of the Flooded Village has grown for 350 years on a rocky height near the village of Chudobin, said locally to play host to a devil that sat under it at night, playing the violin and warding off intruders – though in reality the eerie sounds are more likely to have come from the strong winds blowing over the valley. 2020 March 17, Fiona Harvey, “Pine tree near flooded Czech village voted European tree of the year”, in The Guardian:
   • At length they arrived at the open road, skirted by a wide heath, bounded by the rising heights of the undulating country. 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 37:
7. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) A high point. ▸ The highest point or maximum degree.
   • She's at the height of her career.
   • In the nineteen-fifties, the height of aspirational style was fine French furniture—F.F.F., as it became known in certain precincts of Fifth Avenue and Palm Beach. 2022 July 18, Evan Osnos, “The Haves and the Have-Yachts”, in The New Yorker, →ISSN, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2022:
   • Leo, then at the height of his pontificate, despatched a letter to Cerularius demanding that the Patriarch should recognize the supremacy of the popes, and branding any church that refused such recognition as “an assembly of heretics, a conventicle of schismatics, a synagogue of Satan.”⁷⁶ 1950 [c. 1053], Will Durant, quoting Pope Leo IX, “Christianity in Conflict: 529-1085”, in The Story of Civilization (History), Simon and Schuster, sourced from Cambridge Medieval History, N.Y., 1924f., IV, 168, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 544:
   • If City never quite reached the heights of their 6-1 demolition of United, then Roberto Mancini's side should still have had this game safe long before Johnson restored their two-goal advantage. 2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:
   • […]They clip vs drunkards, and with Swiniſh phraſe / Soyle our addition, and indeede it takes / From our atchieuements, though perform’d at height / The pith and marrow of our attribute[…] c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
   • During the height of Italian immigration in the United States and in New York City, gangs flourished not only because of poverty but also because of political and social corruption. Policemen and politicians were often as crooked as the gang leaders themselves. 2004, Peter Bondanella, chapter 4, in Hollywood Italians: Dagos, Palookas, Romeos, Wise Guys, and Sopranos, pages 173–174:
8. (countable, uncountable) A high point. ▸ A mountain, especially a very high one.
9. (countable, qualifier:Sussex, uncountable) A high point. ▸ An area of land at the top of a cliff.
10. (countable, uncountable) A quality of vowels, indicating the vertical position of the tongue relative to the roof of the mouth; in practice, the first formant, associated with the height of the tongue.

Forms

Antonyms

depth

Coordinates

nasalization · backness · roundedness · length · reduction

Deriveds

scale height · heightless · height above average terrain · overheight · slant height · coheight · star height · Cornwells Heights · heightfield · geopotential height · decision height · breastheight · metacentric height · up a height · Irlams o' th' Height · commanding heights · aheight · heighten · line-height · heighthon · piss on from a great height · significant wave height · find your height · legal height · x-height · drying height · heightmog · Ryland Heights · height money · Valley Heights · vanity height · Chicago Heights · Cleveland Heights · heightist · heightmap · heightwise · ride height · no-height · height to paper · Weymouth Heights · heightism · isoheight · midheight

Relateds

high

Synonyms

climax · high note · perihelion · zenith · stature · stature · Mount Everest · high point · culmination · stature · extreme · pinnacle · paroxysm · capstone · high-water mark · apotheosis · apogee · apex · stature · outblossom · acme · midday · crown · altitude · fastigium · summit · ascendance · high tide · coronation · altitude · summa

Translations (213)

ar اِرْتِفَاع (distance from bottom to top) · fi säkäkorkeus (height of a standing person or animal) · uk вишина́ (distance from bottom to top) · sms õllivuõtt (distance from bottom to top) · ja 高さ (distance from bottom to top) · ru высота́ (highest point) · ro înălțime (height of a standing person or animal) · es alteza (distance from bottom to top) · hu magasság (distance from bottom to top) · ht wotè (distance from bottom to top) · pl wzrost (height of a standing person or animal) · sv längd (height of a standing person or animal) · lv augums (height of a standing person or animal) · cmn 身長 /身长 (height of a standing person or animal) · hu magasság (height of a standing person or animal) · hu nyelvállás (phonetics: a quality of vowels, indicating the vertical position of the tongue relative to the roof of the mouth; in practice, the first formant) · mr उंची (distance from bottom to top) · lt aukštumas (distance from bottom to top) · mn өндөр (distance from bottom to top) · sl rast (height of a standing person or animal) · nrf haûteu (distance from bottom to top) · hit 𒈦𒂵𒀸𒋾𒅖 (distance from bottom to top) · sv längd (distance from bottom to top) · ru рост (height of a standing person or animal) · vec altézsa (distance from bottom to top) · az boy (height of a standing person or animal) · ka სიმაღლე (distance from bottom to top) · lt aukštis (distance from bottom to top) · gl estatura (height of a standing person or animal) · tg баландӣ (distance from bottom to top) · ml ഉയരം (height of a standing person or animal) · ltg augstums (distance from bottom to top) · bg връх (highest point) · ca estatura (height of a standing person or animal) · es altor (distance from bottom to top) · uz yuksaklik (distance from bottom to top) · hy հասակ (height of a standing person or animal) · uk височі́нь (distance from bottom to top) · ja 背 (height of a standing person or animal) · hnn abuwat (distance from bottom to top) · ja 高度 (distance from bottom to top) · sv höjd (distance from bottom to top) · pt altura (height of a standing person or animal) · la statūra (height of a standing person or animal) · is hæð (distance from bottom to top) · la altitūdō (distance from bottom to top) · tr şahika (highest point) · mi tiketike (height of a standing person or animal) · sa ऊर्ध्व (distance from bottom to top) · ltg augstums (height of a standing person or animal) · it cima (highest point) · cmn 身高 (height of a standing person or animal) · uk висо́кість (distance from bottom to top) · mk раст (height of a standing person or animal) · vi chiều cao (height of a standing person or animal) · ky бой (height of a standing person or animal) · vi cao (distance from bottom to top) · grc ὕψος (distance from bottom to top) · ja 高地 (highest point) · pt auge (highest point) · es altura (distance from bottom to top) · hy բոյ (height of a standing person or animal) · vi độ cao (distance from bottom to top) · my စောက် (distance from bottom to top) · sl višina (distance from bottom to top) · ckb بەرزی (distance from bottom to top) · it culmine (highest point) · fr hauteur (distance from bottom to top) · uz balandlik (distance from bottom to top) · el ύψος (distance from bottom to top) · es altura (height of a standing person or animal) · it altezza (distance from bottom to top) · sk výška (distance from bottom to top) · ky бийиктик (distance from bottom to top) · el ύψος (height of a standing person or animal) · zu ubude (distance from bottom to top) · eo staturo (height of a standing person or animal) · as উচ্চতা (distance from bottom to top) · bg височина (height of a standing person or animal) · mfe oter (distance from bottom to top) · fa ارتفاع (distance from bottom to top) · fi huippu (highest point) · es cima (highest point) · pl wysokość (distance from bottom to top) · zu ubude (height of a standing person or animal) · fa بالا (height of a standing person or animal) · nl hoogte (distance from bottom to top) · am ከፍታ (distance from bottom to top) · lv augstums (distance from bottom to top) · th ความสูง (distance from bottom to top) · cmn 高低 (distance from bottom to top) · kk биіктік (distance from bottom to top) · ee kɔkɔme (distance from bottom to top) · nb høyde (distance from bottom to top) · om hojjaa (distance from bottom to top) · ur اونچائی (distance from bottom to top) · cmn 體高 /体高 (height of a standing person or animal) · cs růst (height of a standing person or animal) · so sare (distance from bottom to top) · he גובה (height of a standing person or animal) · alt бой (height of a standing person or animal) · ca alçada (height of a standing person or animal) · cy taldra (height of a standing person or animal) · az yüksəklik (distance from bottom to top) · ota یوكسكلك (distance from bottom to top) · zza sersıq (highest point) · tr doruk (highest point) · te ఉన్నతము (distance from bottom to top) · bn উচ্চতা (distance from bottom to top) · it altezza (height of a standing person or animal) · tsg tas (distance from bottom to top) · ru высота́ (distance from bottom to top) · uk висота́ (distance from bottom to top) · mi tiketike (distance from bottom to top) · be вышыня́ (distance from bottom to top) · sh висина (distance from bottom to top) · mn өндөр (height of a standing person or animal) · kum бой (height of a standing person or animal) · alt бийик (distance from bottom to top) · ba буй (height of a standing person or animal) · ru разгар (highest point) · it sommità (highest point) · th ส่วนสูง (distance from bottom to top) · arz ارتفاع (distance from bottom to top) · km ជំហរ (height of a standing person or animal) · tr yükseklik (distance from bottom to top) · la proceritas (distance from bottom to top) · sh rȃst (height of a standing person or animal) · cy uchder (distance from bottom to top) · bg височина́ (distance from bottom to top) · fr taille (height of a standing person or animal) · sh visina (distance from bottom to top) · el κορυφή (highest point) · te పొడుగు (distance from bottom to top) · hu csúcs (highest point) · th ส่วนสูง (height of a standing person or animal) · tr boy (distance from bottom to top) · eo alteco (distance from bottom to top) · zza lem (height of a standing person or animal) · ru вышина́ (distance from bottom to top) · hu nyíltság (phonetics: a quality of vowels, indicating the vertical position of the tongue relative to the roof of the mouth; in practice, the first formant) · pt ápice (highest point) · be высачыня́ (distance from bottom to top) · fi pituus (height of a standing person or animal) · gl altura (height of a standing person or animal) · eo alto (distance from bottom to top) · fur altece (distance from bottom to top) · got 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌹𐌸𐌰 (distance from bottom to top) · nl lengte (height of a standing person or animal) · fi korkeus (height of a standing person or animal) · it apice (highest point) · tr zirve (highest point) · da højde (distance from bottom to top) · tr boy (height of a standing person or animal) · ja 身長 (height of a standing person or animal) · chr ᎢᎦᏘ (distance from bottom to top) · ko 키 (height of a standing person or animal) · ml ഉയരം (distance from bottom to top) · tk beýiklik (distance from bottom to top) · ml പൊക്കം (height of a standing person or animal) · fi korkeus (distance from bottom to top) · cy uchelfan (highest point) · mrw tas (distance from bottom to top) · ko 높이 (distance from bottom to top) · my အမြင့် (height of a standing person or animal) · km កំពស់ (distance from bottom to top) · fa بلندی (distance from bottom to top) · et kõrgus (distance from bottom to top) · bg ръст (height of a standing person or animal) · tl taas (distance from bottom to top) · ms ketinggian (distance from bottom to top) · ug ئېگىزلىك (distance from bottom to top) · lo ຄວາມສຸງ (distance from bottom to top) · gsw Hööchi (distance from bottom to top) · gu ઊંચાઈ (distance from bottom to top) · mk височина (distance from bottom to top) · th ความสูง (height of a standing person or animal) · ro culme (highest point) · mk висина (distance from bottom to top) · he גֹּבַהּ (distance from bottom to top) · fa بلندا (highest point) · sk rast (height of a standing person or animal) · uk височина́ (distance from bottom to top) · cs výška (distance from bottom to top) · ml ഉച്ചി (highest point) · my အမြင့် (distance from bottom to top) · az hündürlük (distance from bottom to top) · yi הייך (distance from bottom to top) · pt altura (distance from bottom to top) · ja 体高 (height of a standing person or animal) · te ఎత్తు (distance from bottom to top) · az ucalıq (distance from bottom to top) · gl altura (distance from bottom to top) · ca altura (distance from bottom to top) · ckb باڵا (height of a standing person or animal) · be рост (height of a standing person or animal) · ko 고도 (distance from bottom to top) · sh ра̑ст (height of a standing person or animal) · hi ऊंचाई (distance from bottom to top) · it vetta (highest point) · ba бейеклек (distance from bottom to top) · so kor (distance from bottom to top) · ro înălţime (distance from bottom to top) · uk зріст (height of a standing person or animal) · cmn 高度 (distance from bottom to top) · got 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌴𐌹 (distance from bottom to top) · hy բարձրություն (distance from bottom to top) · de Höhe (distance from bottom to top) · zza berzey (diq) (distance from bottom to top) · es cumbre (highest point) · sq lartësi (distance from bottom to top) · de Größe (height of a standing person or animal) · lb Héicht (distance from bottom to top)