Meanings
perpendicular1
comparative more perpendicular · superlative most perpendicular
- geometryAt or forming a right angle (to something).
In most houses, the walls are perpendicular to the floor.
1 more example
A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place. Applying a force tangential to the knob is essentially equivalent to applying one perpendicular to a radial line defining the lever.
2012 March 28, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3Synonyms: normal, orthogonal
- Exactly upright; extending in a straight line toward the centre of the earth, etc.
- Independent of or irrelevant to each other; orthogonal.
Hey, I'm not unsabotaging anything! This is completely perpendicular sabotage!
2019 May 31, David M. Willis, “Wrangled”, in Dumbing of Age
plural perpendiculars
- A device such as a plumb line that is used in making or marking a perpendicular line.
Perpendicular2
comparative more Perpendicular · superlative most Perpendicular
- architectureOf a style of English Gothic architecture from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, marked by stiff and rectilinear lines, mostly vertical window-tracery, depressed or four-centre arch, fan-tracery vaulting, and panelled walls.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveAt or forming a right angle (to something).
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveintersecting at or forming right angles
adjectiveat right angles to the plane of the horizon or a base line
adjectiveso steep as to be nearly vertical
nouna Gothic style in 14th and 15th century England; characterized by vertical lines and a four-centered (Tudor) arch and fan vaulting
nouna 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
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinperpendiculum“plumb line”
- Old Frenchperpendiculer
- Middle Frenchperpendiculaire
- Englishperpendicular
Derived from Middle French perpendiculaire, from Old French perpendiculer, from Latin perpendiculum (“plumb line”).
More words from Middle French, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَمُودِيّ, رَأْسِيّ
- عَمُودِيّ (ʕamūdiyy)at or forming a right angle to
- رَأْسِيّ (raʔsiyy)at or forming a right angle to
Bulgarian перпендикуля́рен, перпендикуляр
- перпендикуля́рен (perpendikuljáren)at or forming a right angle to
- перпендикуляр (perpendikuljar)line or plane
- отвес (otves)device
Catalan perpendicular, perpendicular
- perpendicularat or forming a right angle to
- perpendicularline or plane
Chinese Mandarin 垂直, 垂綫 /垂线
- 垂直 (chuízhí)at or forming a right angle to
- 垂綫 /垂线 (chuíxiàn)line or plane
- 垂面line or plane
Czech kolmý, kolmice
- kolmýat or forming a right angle to
- kolmiceline or plane
Danish vinkelret
- vinkelretat or forming a right angle to
Dutch loodrecht, haaks
- loodrechtat or forming a right angle to
- haaksat or forming a right angle to
- perpendiculairat or forming a right angle to
- loodlijnline or plane
- schietlooddevice
Esperanto perpendikulara, perpendikla
- perpendikularaat or forming a right angle to
- perpendiklaat or forming a right angle to
- ortaat or forming a right angle to
Estonian risti
- ristiat or forming a right angle to
Finnish kohtisuora, kohtisuorassa
- kohtisuoraat or forming a right angle to
- kohtisuorassaat or forming a right angle to
- pystysuorassaat or forming a right angle to
- kohtisuoraline or plane
- luotilankadevice
- luotidevice
French perpendiculaire, perpendiculaire
- perpendiculaireat or forming a right angle to
- perpendiculaireline or plane
- fil à plombdevice
German rechtwinklig, lotrecht
- rechtwinkligat or forming a right angle to
- lotrechtat or forming a right angle to
- senkrechtat or forming a right angle to
- perpendikularat or forming a right angle to
- perpendikulärat or forming a right angle to
- Lotrechteline or plane
- Senkrechteline or plane
- Bleilotdevice
- Senkbleidevice
Greek κάθετος
- κάθετος (káthetos)at or forming a right angle to
Hebrew מאונך \ מְאֻנָךְ, ניצב \ נִצָּב
- מאונך \ מְאֻנָךְ (meunákh)at or forming a right angle to
- ניצב \ נִצָּב (nitsáv)at or forming a right angle to
- מאונך \ מְאֻנָךְ (meunákh)line or plane
- ניצב \ נִצָּב (nitsáv)line or plane
Hindi लंब, अभिलंब
- लंब (lamb)line or plane
- अभिलंब (abhilamb)line or plane
Hungarian merőleges, merőleges
- merőlegesat or forming a right angle to
- merőlegesline or plane
Indonesian tegak lurus
- tegak lurusat or forming a right angle to
Italian perpendicolare
- perpendicolareat or forming a right angle to
Japanese 垂直の, 縦の
- 垂直の (suichoku no)at or forming a right angle to
- 縦の (tate no)at or forming a right angle to
- 直立の (chokuritsu no)at or forming a right angle to
Korean 수직의
- 수직의 (sujigui)at or forming a right angle to
Latin perpendiculāris
- perpendiculārisat or forming a right angle to
Latvian perpendikulārs
- perpendikulārsat or forming a right angle to
Malay serenjang
- serenjangat or forming a right angle to
Māori hāngai
- hāngaiat or forming a right angle to
Norwegian Bokmål loddrett
- loddrettat or forming a right angle to
Persian عمودی
- عمودی ('amudi)at or forming a right angle to
Polish prostopadły, prostopadła
- prostopadłyat or forming a right angle to
- prostopadłaline or plane
Portuguese perpendicular, perpendicular
- perpendicularat or forming a right angle to
- perpendicularline or plane
Romanian perpendicular, perpendiculară
- perpendicularat or forming a right angle to
- perpendicularăline or plane
Russian перпендикуля́рный, перпендикуля́р
- перпендикуля́рный (perpendikuljárnyj)at or forming a right angle to
- перпендикуля́р (perpendikuljár)line or plane
Slovak kolmý
- kolmýat or forming a right angle to
Spanish perpendicular
- perpendicularat or forming a right angle to
Swedish vinkelrät, normal
- vinkelrätat or forming a right angle to
- normalline or plane
Tagalog tadlong
- tadlongat or forming a right angle to
Thai ตั้งฉาก, เส้นตั้งฉาก
- ตั้งฉาก (táng-chàak)at or forming a right angle to
- เส้นตั้งฉาก (séen-táng-chàak)line or plane
Turkish dik, dik
- dikat or forming a right angle to
- dikline or plane
Ukrainian перпендикуля́рний, простопа́дний
- перпендикуля́рний (perpendykuljárnyj)at or forming a right angle to
- простопа́дний (prostopádnyj)at or forming a right angle to
- простопа́д (prostopád)line or plane
Welsh perpendiciwlar
- perpendiciwlarat or forming a right angle to
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with perpendicular
Cite this entry
perpendicular. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perpendicular
“perpendicular.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perpendicular. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perpendicular,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perpendicular.
Source: perpendicular on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.