Meanings
comparative more rectilinear · superlative most rectilinear
- In a straight line.
The crankshaft and connecting rods of an engine convert the rectilinear motion of the pistons to rotary motion of the flywheel.
- artFormed from straight lines.
10. A Chiltern Railways 2023 rectilinear diagram.
2026 August 19, Andy Comfort, “Mapping Britain's railways”, in RAIL, number 1068, page 25, diagram caption
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecharacterized by a straight line or lines
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From post-Classical Latin; either from rectilīneāris or from rectilīneus (whence rectiline) + -ar, in both cases ultimately deriving from rectus (“straight”) + līnea (“line”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian праволинеен
- праволинеен (pravolineen)in a straight line
Catalan rectilini
- rectiliniin a straight line
Chinese Mandarin 沿直线的
- 沿直线的 (yánzhíxiànde)in a straight line
German geradlinig
- geradlinigin a straight line
Irish dronlíneach
- dronlíneachin a straight line
Italian rettilineo
- rettilineoin a straight line
Polish prostoliniowy
- prostoliniowyin a straight line
Russian прямолине́йный
- прямолине́йный (prjamolinéjnyj)in a straight line
Spanish rectilíneo
- rectilíneoin a straight line
Swedish rätlinjig
- rätlinjigin a straight line
Ukrainian прямоліні́йний
- прямоліні́йний (prjamoliníjnyj)in a straight line
Cite this entry
rectilinear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rectilinear
“rectilinear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rectilinear. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rectilinear,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rectilinear.
Source: rectilinear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.