perpendicular

[ pur-puhn-dik-yuh-ler ]

See synonyms for: perpendicular perpendicularity on Thesaurus.com

adjective

vertical; straight up and down; upright.
Geometry. meeting a given line or surface at right angles.

maintaining a standing or upright position; standing up.
having a sharp pitch or slope; steep.
(initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to the last style of English Gothic architecture, prevailing from the late 14th through the early 16th century and characterized by the use of predominantly vertical tracery, an overall linear, shallow effect, and fine intricate stonework.

noun

a perpendicular line or plane.
an instrument for indicating the vertical line from any point.

an upright position.
a sharply pitched or precipitously steep mountain face.
moral virtue or uprightness; rectitude.
Nautical. either of two lines perpendicular to the keel line, base line, or designed water line of a vessel.

Origin of perpendicular

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin perpendiculāris “vertical,” equivalent to perpendicul(um) “plumb line” (see perpend², -i-, -cule²) + -āris-ar¹; replacing Middle English perpendiculer(e) (adjective and adverb), from Old French perpendiculiere

synonym study For perpendicular

1. See upright.

Other words for perpendicular

standing

See synonyms for perpendicular on Thesaurus.com

Other words from perpendicular

per·pen·dic·u·lar·i·ty, per·pen·dic·u·lar·ness, noun
per·pen·dic·u·lar·ly, adverb
non·per·pen·dic·u·lar, adjective, noun
non·per·pen·dic·u·lar·ly, adverb
non·per·pen·dic·u·lar·i·ty, noun
un·per·pen·dic·u·lar, adjective
un·per·pen·dic·u·lar·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use perpendicular in a sentence

Near the fort, a waterfall precipitates itself perpendicularly down a narrow ravine.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
The Mats de Cocagne are long poles, some of them thirty feet in height, well greased, and erected perpendicularly.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808 | Lt-Col. Pinkney
A thin, straight line of light was suddenly drawn perpendicularly, just in front of him, and then a door was opened.
The Light That Lures | Percy Brebner
Their feet are divided into two black pointed hoofs; the tail is naked, and hangs perpendicularly.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
It fell perpendicularly into the water, struck the rocks, and stopped in the defile before touching the bottom.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for perpendicular

perpendicular

/ (ˌpɜːpənˈdɪkjʊlə) /

adjective

Also: normal at right angles to a horizontal plane
denoting, relating to, or having the style of Gothic architecture used in England during the 14th and 15th centuries, characterized by tracery having vertical lines, a four-centred arch, and fan vaulting

upright; vertical

noun

geometry a line or plane perpendicular to another
any instrument used for indicating the vertical line through a given point

mountaineering a nearly vertical face

Origin of perpendicular

C14: from Latin perpendiculāris, from perpendiculum a plumb line, from per- through + pendēre to hang

Derived forms of perpendicular

perpendicularity (ˌpɜːpənˌdɪkjʊˈlærɪtɪ), noun
perpendicularly, 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 perpendicular

perpendicular

[ pûr′pən-dĭk′yə-lər ]

Adjective

Intersecting at or forming a right angle or right angles.

Noun

A line or plane that is perpendicular to a given line or plane.

Browse