Definition of "amplitude" []

• Greatness of size; magnitude. (noun)
• Fullness; copiousness. (noun)
• Breadth or range, as of intelligence. (noun)
• Astronomy The angular distance along the horizon from true east or west to the intersection of the vertical circle of a celestial body with the horizon. (noun)
• Physics The maximum absolute value of a periodically varying quantity. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term amplitude, thus used (by English writers also), is an old one in astronomical terminology."
• "Each whole number increase (ie from 5.0 to 6.0) represents a ten-fold increase in amplitude (or about a 30-fold increase in energy)."
• "Annual temperature amplitude is 10,6°C (from 15°C to 35°C in summer and from 0°C to 15°C in winter), being February the hottest month."