Etymologically
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This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌhɒɹɪˈzɒn.təl/ (UK); /ˌhoɹəˈzɑn.təl/, /ˌhoɹəˈzɒn.təl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French horizontal or New Latin horizontālis,[2][3][4] from Late Latin horizōn (stem horizont-; see horizon),[4][5] from Ancient Greek ὁρίζων (horízōn, “bounding (circle)”), from ὁρίζω (horízō, “to bound, limit”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to or near the horizon: 1555 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1550s in Etymonline.[6][5][2]

Semantic evolution

The common sense, parallel to the plane of the horizon, flat, is from 1638 (the 1630s in Etymonline).[6][2] A sense of uniform, chiefly American, is recorded from 1842,[6] and in economics horizontal combination or integration, between firms at the same stage of production, from 1927.[6] The sense of being at the same level of a hierarchy is in the AHD.[7]

Timeline

  • 1555 – relating to the horizon.[6][5]
  • 1638 – parallel to the horizon.[6]
  • 1842 – uniform (US).[6]
  • 1927 – horizontal integration.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Parallel to the plane of the horizon; level, flat; at right angles to the vertical.
  2. Relating to or near the horizon.
  3. At the same level of a hierarchy, or applied equally to all members of a group.

Noun

  1. A horizontal line, plane or object.

Word family

  • horizontally
  • horizontality
  • unhorizontal
  • subhorizontal
  • horizontal bar
  • horizontal stabilizer

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin