| 释义 |
per·pen·dic·u·lar
I. \|pər]pən|dikyələr, |pə̄]...lə(r, |pəi]...lə(r, ]pəm|d-\ adjective
Etymology: alteration (influenced by Latin perpendicularis) of Middle English perpendiculer, from Middle French, from Latin perpendicularis, from perpendiculum plumb line (from per- through + pendēre to hang + -iculum, suffix denoting an instrument) + -aris -ar — more at per-, pendant
1.
a. : standing at right angles to the plane of the horizon : pointing to the zenith : exactly vertical or upright
< measure the perpendicular height >
b. : being or set at right angles to a given line or plane
< the lines are perpendicular to each other >
< an almost perpendicular rise in share prices — U.S. News & World Report >
2. obsolete : leading directly to : immediate
< perpendicular cause >
3. : extremely steep : precipitous
< a lofty perpendicular cliff — E.V.Lucas >
4. of a person
a. : erect in bearing
< a perpendicular retired colonel >
b. : standing up
< a bus … its platform weighed down with perpendicular men — Bruce Marshall >
5. : of, relating to, or in a medieval English Gothic style of architecture in which vertical lines predominate
6. : relating to, uniting, or consisting of individuals of dissimilar type or on different levels
< perpendicular, in the sense of providing a strand that will run through both high school and college, uniting different ages — General Education in a Free Society >
Synonyms: see vertical
II. noun
(-s)
1.
a. : a line at right angles to another line or plane
b. : a line through a vertex at right angles to the opposite side or face in a triangle or tetrahedron
2. : an instrument for indicating the vertical line from any point
3.
a. : a line at right angles to the plane of the horizon : a vertical line or direction
b. : a vertical plane
c. : an extremely steep or precipitous face (as of a mountain) |