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perpendicular

 - 4 dictionary results

per·pen·dic·u·lar

   [pur-puhn-dik-yuh-ler]
–adjective
1.
vertical; straight up and down; upright.
2.
Geometry. meeting a given line or surface at right angles.
3.
maintaining a standing or upright position; standing up.
4.
having a sharp pitch or slope; steep.
5.
(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
6.
a perpendicular line or plane.
7.
an instrument for indicating the vertical line from any point.
8.
an upright position.
9.
a sharply pitched or precipitously steep mountain face.
10.
moral virtue or uprightness; rectitude.
11.
Nautical. either of two lines perpendicular to the keel line, base line, or designed water line of a vessel.
Use perpendicular in a Sentence
Origin:
1350–1400; < L perpendiculāris vertical, equiv. to perpendicul(um) plumb line (see perpend2, -i-, -cule2) + -āris -ar1; r. ME perpendiculer(e) (adj. and adv.) < OF perpendiculiere

—Related forms
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

—Synonyms
1. standing. See upright.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
perpendicular (ˌpɜːpənˈdɪkjʊlə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  Also: normal at right angles to a horizontal plane
2.  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
3.  upright; vertical
 
—n
4.  geometry a line or plane perpendicular to another
5.  any instrument used for indicating the vertical line through a given point
6.  mountaineering a nearly vertical face
 
[C14: from Latin perpendiculāris, from perpendiculum a plumb line, from per- through + pendēre to hang]
 
perpendicularity
 
—n
 
perpen'dicularly
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

perpendicular
c.1391, from O.Fr. perpendiculer, from L. perpendicularis "vertical, as a plumb line," from perpendiculum "plumb line," from perpendere "balance carefully," from per- "thoroughly" + pendere "to weigh, to hang" (see pendant).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
perpendicular   (pûr'pən-dĭk'yə-lər)  Pronunciation Key 
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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