Vertical
/ˈvɜːr.tɪ.kəl/noun
Extending straight up and down, or at right angles to the horizon.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, *verticālis*, comes from *vertex* (“whirlpool, crown, highest point”), ultimately from *vertere* (“to turn”), the same root behind “verse,” “reverse,” and “convert.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wert-
“to turn, bend”
Latin
Latin
vertere
“to turn, change, rotate”
Latin
Latin
vertex
“whirl, whirlpool; crown of the head; highest point”
Late Latin
Latin
verticālis
“pertaining to the top or summit”
Middle French
Old French
vertical
“vertical, upright”
16th Century
English
vertical
“upright; perpendicular to the horizon”