rectilinear

or rec·ti·lin·e·al

[ rek-tl-in-ee-er ]
See synonyms for rectilinear on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. forming a straight line.

  2. formed by straight lines.

  1. characterized by straight lines.

  2. moving in a straight line.

Origin of rectilinear

1
1650–60; <Late Latin rēctilīne(us) (rēcti-recti- + līne(a) line1 + -us adj. suffix) + -ar1

Other words from rectilinear

  • rec·ti·lin·e·ar·ly, adverb

Words Nearby rectilinear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rectilinear in a sentence

  • It shows a boy, not looking where he’s going, head in a book, as he travels from a mostly rectilinear and geometric landscape to a riot of twisted and abstract forms, reminiscent of seas and forest floors and other worlds.

  • This truth becomes evident when we consider a map of the United States, with its familiar rectilinear boundaries to the north and south and patchwork of state borders spanning the landmass.

    Who Decides What Goes on a Map? | Abigail Levene | January 29, 2022 | Outside Online
  • De Rossi has prepared a map of the principal part of it, divided into fifteen rectilinear and generally rectangular areas.

    The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
  • Just as the triangle is the simplest rectilinear figure of geometry, so also is it the simplest closed ornamental pattern.

  • The largest of these is apparently the occasion of a slight deviation from its otherwise rectilinear course.

    The Astronomy of the Bible | E. Walter Maunder
  • The chief member of the cornice, directly beneath the gutter, by its great projection and rectilinear faces forming the drip.

    History of Ancient Art | Franz von Reber
  • But Oughtred had invented also a rectilinear slide rule, a description of which appeared in 1633.

    William Oughtred | Florian Cajori

British Dictionary definitions for rectilinear

rectilinear

rectilineal

/ (ˌrɛktɪˈlɪnɪə) /


adjective
  1. in, moving in, or characterized by a straight line or lines: the rectilinear propagation of light

  2. consisting of, bounded by, or formed by a straight line or lines

Derived forms of rectilinear

  • rectilinearly or rectilineally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for rectilinear

rectilinear

[ rĕk′tə-lĭnē-ər ]


  1. Relating to, consisting of, or moving in a straight line or lines.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.