perpendicular

See also: Perpendicular

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌpɜː.pənˈdɪk.jə.lə(ɹ)/ enPR: pû"pəndĭ'kyələ(r),
• (US) IPA^(key): /pɝ.pɛnˈdɪk.ju.lɚ/, /pɝ.pənˈdɪk.jə.lɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkjʊlə(ɹ)

Adjective

perpendicular (comparative more perpendicular, superlative most perpendicular)

1. (geometry) At or forming a right angle (to something).

   Synonyms: normal, orthogonal

   In most houses, the walls are perpendicular to the floor.

   • 2012 March, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3:

     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.

2. Exactly upright; extending in a straight line toward the centre of the earth, etc.
3. Independent of or irrelevant to each other; orthogonal.
   • 2019 May 31, David M. Willis, “Wrangled”, in Dumbing of Age:

     Hey, I'm not unsabotaging anything! This is completely perpendicular sabotage!

Derived terms

• perpendicular axis theorem
• perpendicularity
• perpendicularly
• perpendicularness
• perpendicular pronoun
• perpendicular recording
• perpendicular universe
• quasiperpendicular

 

Translations

at or forming a right angle to

• Arabic: عَمُودِيّ (ar) (ʕamūdiyy), رَأْسِيّ (raʔsiyy)
• Armenian: ուղղահայաց (hy) (uġġahayacʻ)
• Belarusian: перпендыкуля́рны (pjerpjendykuljárny)
• Bulgarian: перпендикуля́рен (bg) (perpendikuljáren)
• Catalan: perpendicular (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 垂直 (zh) (chuízhí)

• Czech: kolmý (cs)
• Danish: vinkelret (da)
• Dutch: loodrecht (nl), haaks (nl), perpendiculair (nl)
• Esperanto: perpendikulara
• Estonian: risti (et)
• Finnish: kohtisuora (fi), kohtisuorassa, pystysuorassa
• French: perpendiculaire (fr)
• Galician: perpendicular (gl)
• German: rechtwinklig (de); lotrecht (de), senkrecht (de), perpendikular (de), perpendikulär (de)
• Greek: κάθετος (el) m (káthetos)
• Hebrew: מאונך \ מְאֻנָךְ (he) (meunákh), ניצב \ נִצָּב (he) (nitsáv)
• Hungarian: merőleges (hu)
• Indonesian: tegak lurus (id)
• Italian: perpendicolare (it)
• Japanese: 垂直の (ja) (すいちょくの, suichoku no), 縦の (ja) (たての, tate no), 直立の (ja) (ちょくりつの, chokuritsu no)
• Korean: 수직의 (ko) (sujigui)
• Latin: perpendiculāris
• Latvian: perpendikulārs (lv)
• Malay: serenjang
• Maori: hāngai
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: loddrett

  Nynorsk: loddrett

• Persian: عمودی (fa) ('amudi)
• Polish: prostopadły (pl)
• Portuguese: perpendicular (pt)
• Romanian: perpendicular (ro)
• Russian: перпендикуля́рный (ru) (perpendikuljárnyj)
• Sanskrit: लम्ब (sa) m (lamba)
• Slovak: kolmý
• Spanish: perpendicular (es)
• Swedish: vinkelrät (sv)
• Tagalog: tadlong
• Thai: ตั้งฉาก (táng-chàak)
• Turkish: dik (tr)
• Ukrainian: перпендикуля́рний (perpendykuljárnyj), простопа́дний (prostopádnyj)
• Welsh: perpendiciwlar
• West Frisian: leadrjocht

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.
3. (obsolete, slang) A meal eaten at a tavern bar while standing up.

Translations

line or plane

• Bulgarian: перпендикуляр m (perpendikuljar)
• Catalan: perpendicular (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 垂线 (zh) (chuíxiàn), 垂面 (zh)

• Czech: kolmice (cs) f (line)
• Dutch: loodlijn (nl) f
• Finnish: kohtisuora (fi)
• French: perpendiculaire (fr) f
• German: Lotrechte f, Senkrechte f
• Hebrew: מאונך \ מְאֻנָךְ (he) m (meunákh), ניצב \ נִצָּב (he) m (nitsáv)
• Hindi: लंब (hi) (lamb), अभिलंब (abhilamb)
• Hungarian: merőleges (hu)
• Navajo: kʼéhézdongo ahidiiʼá
• Polish: prostopadła f
• Portuguese: perpendicular (pt) f
• Romanian: perpendiculară (ro) f
• Russian: перпендикуля́р (ru) m (perpendikuljár)
• Swedish: normal (sv) c
• Thai: เส้นตั้งฉาก (séen-táng-chàak)
• Turkish: dik (tr)
• Ukrainian: простопа́д m (prostopád)
• West Frisian: leadline

device

• Bulgarian: отвес m (otves)
• Dutch: schietlood (nl) n
• Finnish: luotilanka (fi), luoti (fi)
• French: fil à plomb (fr) m
• German: Bleilot n, Senkblei (de) n

See also

• ⟂ (This symbol can be pronounced “perp” when used as a subscript of a letter representing a vector.)

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin perpendiculāris, from perpendiculum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [pər.pən.di.kuˈlar]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [pər.pən.di.kuˈla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [peɾ.pen.di.kuˈlaɾ]

Adjective

perpendicular m or f (masculine and feminine plural perpendiculars)

1. perpendicular

Derived terms

• perpendicularment

Noun

perpendicular f (plural perpendiculars)

1. perpendicular

Further reading

• “perpendicular” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “perpendicular”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “perpendicular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “perpendicular” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin perpendiculāris, from perpendiculum.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /peʁ.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlaʁ/ [peh.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /peʁ.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlaʁ/ [peh.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /peɾ.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /peʁ.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlaʁ/ [peχ.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlaχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /peɻ.pẽ.d͡ʒi.kuˈlaɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨɾ.pẽ.di.kuˈlaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨɾ.pẽ.di.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨɾ.pẽ.di.kuˈla.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: per‧pen‧di‧cu‧lar

Adjective

perpendicular m or f (plural perpendiculares)

1. perpendicular

Noun

perpendicular f (plural perpendiculares)

1. perpendicular

Derived terms

• perpendicularidade
• perpendicularmente

 

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French perpendiculaire.

Noun

perpendicular f (plural perpendiculare)

1. perpendicular

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	perpendicular	perpendiculara		perpendiculare	perpendicularele
genitive-dative	perpendiculare	perpendicularei		perpendiculare	perpendicularelor
vocative	—			—

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin perpendiculāris, from perpendiculum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /peɾpendikuˈlaɾ/ [peɾ.pẽn̪.d̪i.kuˈlaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: per‧pen‧di‧cu‧lar

Adjective

perpendicular m or f (masculine and feminine plural perpendiculares)

1. perpendicular

Derived terms

• perpendicularmente

 

Further reading

• “perpendicular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28