Definition: Perpendicular

From New World Encyclopedia
(Redirected from Perpendicular)

Etymology

From Middle French perpendiculaire, from Old French perpendiculer, from Latin perpendiculum (“plumb line”).

Adjective

perpendicular (comparative more perpendicular, superlative most perpendicular)

  1. (geometry) At or forming a right angle (to something).
    In most houses, the walls are perpendicular to the floor.
  2. Exactly upright; extending in a straight line toward the center of the earth, etc.
  3. Independent of or irrelevant to each other; orthogonal.

Noun

perpendicular (plural perpendiculars)

  1. (geometry) A line or plane that is perpendicular to another.
  2. A device such as a plumb line that is used in making or marking a perpendicular line.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here: