Horizontalize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make something flat or level in a side-to-side orientation
2. To arrange elements so they are parallel to the horizon or ground
3. To transform a design or layout to be oriented horizontally rather than vertically

Etymology: "Horizontalize" is a plain formation: the adjective "horizontal" with the suffix "-ize," which turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to make (something) be" the thing described. So "horizontalize" means to make something horizontal, here specifically to make it perfectly level. "Horizontal" itself comes from the Late Latin "horizontalis," the adjective of "horizon," which in turn came from Greek "horizein," "to bound or limit." The horizon was the boundary line where earth and sky appear to meet, so a horizontal surface is one that lies parallel to that line. The suffix "-ize" comes from Greek "-izein" and has been used in English for centuries to form verbs of making, as in "modernize" or "standardize."

Synonyms: level, align

Antonyms: verticalize