meridional adjective & noun. [mǝ'rɪdɪǝn(ǝ)l] Also meridianal. LME.
[Old & mod. French méridional from late Latin meridionalis, irreg. from meridies (see MERIDIAN adjective) after septentrionalis SEPTENTRIONAL.]
A. adjective.
1. Of or pertaining to the south; situated in the south; southern, southerly. LME.
b. spec. Pertaining to or characteristic of the inhabitants of southern Europe. M19.

2. Of or pertaining to the position of the sun at midday; pertaining to or characteristic of midday. LME-M19.

3. Of, pertaining to, or aligned with a meridian. M16.

4. Of a marking or structure on a roundish body: lying in a plane with the axis of the body. Cf. MERIDIAN noun 5c. M17.
b. noun. A native or inhabitant of the south. Now spec. a native or inhabitant of the south of France. L16.

■ meridio'nality noun the state of being on the meridian, or aligned along a meridian M17.

■ meridionally adverb in or along a meridian or meridians; north and south; in the direction of the poles (of a magnet): E17.

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