Adjacent Words

Perpendicular definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PERPENDIC'ULAR, a. [L. perpendicularis, from perpendiculum, a plumb line; perpendeo; per and pendeo, to hang.]
1. Hanging or extending in a right line from any point towards the center of the earth or of gravity, or at right angles with the plane of the horizon.
2. In geometry, falling directly on another line at right angles. The line A is perpendicular to the line B.
PERPENDIC'ULAR, n. A line falling at right angles on the plane of the horizon,that is, extending from some point in a right line towards the center of the earth or center of gravity, or any body standing in that direction.
1. In geometry, a line falling at right angles on another line, or making equal angles with it on each side.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: intersecting at or forming right angles; "the axes are perpendicular to each other" [ant: oblique, parallel]
2: at right angles to the plane of the horizon or a base line; "a vertical camera angle"; "the monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab"; "measure the perpendicular height" [syn: vertical, perpendicular] [ant: horizontal, inclined]
3: extremely steep; "the great perpendicular face of the cliff" n
1: a straight line at right angles to another line
2: a Gothic style in 14th and 15th century England; characterized by vertical lines and a four-centered (Tudor) arch and fan vaulting [syn: perpendicular, perpendicular style, English-Gothic, English-Gothic architecture]
3: a cord from which a metal weight is suspended pointing directly to the earth's center of gravity; used to determine the vertical from a given point [syn: plumb line, perpendicular]
4: an extremely steep face

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English perpendiculer, from Middle French, from Latin perpendicularis, from perpendiculum plumb line, from per- + pend?re to hang — more at pendant Date: 14th century 1. a. standing at right angles to the plane of the horizon ; exactly upright b. being at right angles to a given line or plane 2. extremely steep ; precipitous 3. often capitalized of or relating to a medieval English Gothic style of architecture in which vertical lines predominate 4. relating to, uniting, or consisting of individuals of dissimilar type or on different levels Synonyms: see vertical • perpendicularity noun • perpendicularly adverb II. noun Date: 1571 a line at right angles to a line or plane (as of the horizon)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 a at right angles to the plane of the horizon. b (usu. foll. by to) Geom. at right angles (to a given line, plane, or surface). 2 upright, vertical. 3 (of a slope etc.) very steep. 4 (Perpendicular) Archit. of the third stage of English Gothic (15th-16th c.) with vertical tracery in large windows. 5 joc. in a standing position. --n. 1 a perpendicular line. 2 a plumb-rule or a similar instrument. 3 (prec. by the) a perpendicular line or direction (is out of the perpendicular). Derivatives: perpendicularity n. perpendicularly adv. Etymology: ME f. L perpendicularis f. perpendiculum plumb-line f. PER- + pendere hang

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Perpendicular Per`pen*dic"u*lar, n. 1. A line at right angles to the plane of the horizon; a vertical line or direction. 2. (Geom.) A line or plane falling at right angles on another line or surface, or making equal angles with it on each side.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Perpendicular Per`pen*dic"u*lar, a. [L. perpendicularis, perpendicularius: cf. F. perpendiculaire. See Perpendicle, Pension.] 1. Exactly upright or vertical; pointing to the zenith; at right angles to the plane of the horizon; extending in a right line from any point toward the center of the earth. 2. (Geom.) At right angles to a given line or surface; as, the line ad is perpendicular to the line bc. Perpendicular style (Arch.), a name given to the latest variety of English Gothic architecture, which prevailed from the close of the 14th century to the early part of the 16th; -- probably so called from the vertical style of its window mullions.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. A perpendicular line or surface points straight up, rather than being sloping or horizontal. We made two slits for the eyes and a perpendicular line for the nose... The sides of the loch are almost perpendicular. = vertical ADJ: usu ADJ n 2. If one thing is perpendicular to another, it is at an angle of 90 degrees to it. (FORMAL) The left wing dipped until it was perpendicular to the ground. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ to n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Vertical, upright, pointing to the zenith. 2. At right angles, making a right angle, normal.

Moby Thesaurus

air line, axis, azimuth circle, beeline, chord, diagonal, diameter, direct line, directrix, edge, erect, great-circle course, normal, orthodiagonal, orthogonal, orthometric, plumb, plunging, precipitous, radius, radius vector, rectangular, right angle, right line, right-angle, right-angled, right-angular, secant, segment, sheer, shortcut, side, stand-up, steep, straight, straight course, straight line, straight stretch, straight-up, straight-up-and-down, straightaway, streamline, tangent, transversal, up-and-down, upright, vector, vertical, vertical circle