English → Latin
“perpendicular” in Latin
dīrigōto lay straight; arrange in lines (especially in military contexts); to direct to a place, guide, steer; to distribute, līneaA linen thread.cathĕtusa perpendicular line
The English word perpendicular itself goes back to Latin pendō, through perpendiculum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
perpendicular
directus ad perpendiculum, or simply directus (opposed to pronus, or pronus ac f’astigatus): ☞ perpendicularis only in later writers: to be perpendicular, directum esse, or simply esse ad perpendiculum. A perpendicular line, linea, quae cathetus dicitur or cathetus only (ἡ κάθετος, sc. γραμμή). To let fall a perpendicular. lineam, quap cathetus dicitur, demittere in (with ablative).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for perpendicular?
- The usual Latin words for “perpendicular” are dīrigō, līnea, cathĕtus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.