Altus

Altus comes from Latin, and means 'high' or 'deep'....

"I.grown or become great, great (altus ab alendo dictus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 7 Müll.; cf. the Germ. gross with the Engl. grow), a polar word meaning both high and deep.

A. Seen from below upwards, high."

(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=altus1)

Isn't that interesting - that one word means both high and deep? The same word for two very different concepts. So, 'The hawk flies high (altus) in the sky', not, 'The hawk flies deep (altus) in the sky'.

But dig this: have you read/heard the phrase "the high seas"? I've vaguely wondered, why 'high' seas? What does that mean? I know now.

One point of further inquiry on altus: I was taught to "aim high in steering" in my Driver's Ed class. My recent experiments with vision totally justify changing that dictum to "aim deep in steering", and employing the help of phenomenology to elucidate deepness/highness.

Another direction of inquiry regards the notion of "a polar word".

And, the third meaning of altus: lofty, profound.