Etymologically
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vertical

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:52. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈvɝ.tɪ.kəl/, /ˈvɝ.tə.kəl/; /ˈvɜː.tɪ.kəl/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French vertical and directly borrowed from Late Latin verticalis (“overhead”),[2][3][4] from Latin vertex (“highest point, summit”) (genitive verticis) (see vertex).[3][2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or at the vertex, directly overhead: 1559, in vertical point (the zenith) and vertical circle.[2][6][4] Etymonline dates it to the 1550s.[3]

Semantic evolution

Of the sun or stars, directly overhead, is from 1594,[6] and in geometry, of the angle opposite the base of a figure, from 1571.[6] Perpendicular to the horizon, upright, is attested by 1704.[3] The noun, the vertical position or line, is from 1834.[3] In economics, vertical integration combines successive stages of production.[7][8]

Timeline

  • 1559 – at the zenith.[2][6]
  • 1571 – in geometry.[6]
  • 1594 – of the sun, overhead.[6]
  • 1704 – upright.[3]
  • 1834 – the vertical (noun).[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. At right angles to a horizontal plane; upright.
  2. (anatomy) Relating to the crown of the head.
  3. Involving different levels of a hierarchy or stages of production.

Noun

  1. A vertical line, plane or position.

Word family

  • verticality
  • vertically
  • verticalness
  • nonvertical
  • subvertical
  • vertical angle
  • vertical stabilizer
  • vertical circle

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press