false northing

noun

A value relating to distance north of a standard latitude but with a constant added to make the numbers convenient. For instance, in UTM, the Southern Hemisphere is assigned negative degrees of latitude, but to avoid negative numbers in northings, a constant value of 10,000,000 is added so that negative numbers for northings do not occur.

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Meanings

nounfalse northing (plural false northings)

plural false northings

  1. cartographyA value relating to distance north of a standard latitude but with a constant added to make the numbers convenient. For instance, in UTM, the Southern Hemisphere is assigned negative degrees of latitude, but to avoid negative numbers in northings, a constant value of 10,000,000 is added so that negative numbers for northings do not occur.
Cite this entry
APA

false northing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/false%20northing

MLA

“false northing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/false%20northing. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “false northing,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/false%20northing.

Source: false northing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.