perpendicular
adjective/ˌpɜːpənˈdɪkjələ(r)/
/ˌpɜːrpənˈdɪkjələr/
- perpendicular (to something) forming an angle of 90° with another line or surface; vertical and going straight up
- Are the lines perpendicular to each other?
- The staircase was almost perpendicular (= very steep).
Extra Examples- an almost perpendicular staircase
- two mutually perpendicular directions
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- almost
- nearly
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- Perpendicular(architecture) connected with a style of architecture common in England in the 14th and 15th centuriesCultureThe Perpendicular style in architecture was marked by large windows, lines going straight up and down, and ceiling patterns in stone called fan vaulting. An example of this style is the chapel of King's College, Cambridge.compare Decorated style, Early EnglishTopics Buildingsc2
Word Originlate Middle English (as an adverb meaning ‘at right angles’): via Old French from Latin perpendicularis, from perpendiculum ‘plumb line’, from per- ‘through’ + pendere ‘to hang’.
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perpendicular