Orthogonal
/ɔːrˈθɒɡənəl/noun
At right angles; in mathematics, independent or unrelated in structure.
Did you know?Its roots come from Greek words for “straight” and “angle,” and that same ancient angle-language later gave English words like orthodoxy and orthodox—turning “straightness” into a symbol of correctness and alignment.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
orthogōnios
“right-angled; having a straight angle”
Late Greek
Greek
orthogonios
“right-angled”
16th Century
English
orthogonal
“right-angled; specifically in geometry”
19th–20th Century
English
orthogonal
“mathematically independent or perpendicular”
Modern English
English
orthogonal
“at right angles; unrelated or independent in structure”
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