vertical

/ˈvər-ti-kəl/

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin verticalis, from Latin vertic-, vertex

adjective

  1. perpendicular to the plane of the horizon or to a primary axis : upright

  2. located at right angles to the plane of a supporting surface

  3. lying in the direction of an axis : lengthwise

vertical perpendicular plumb mean being at right angles to a base line. vertical suggests a line or direction rising straight upward toward a zenith. perpendicular may stress the straightness of a line making a right angle with any other line, not necessarily a horizontal one.

noun

  1. either of two angles lying on opposite sides of two intersecting lines

noun

  1. a great circle of the celestial sphere whose plane is perpendicular to that of the horizon