Verticality

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌvɜːtɪˈkalɪti/

Definitions

1. The attribute of being positioned upright or at a right angle, commonly pertaining to the aspect of height in structures and designs
2. A quality denoting the orientation that is perpendicular to the ground, especially in fields like architecture and engineering
3. The state of being oriented straight up and down, which is often significant in disciplines such as design, architecture, and construction

Etymology: "Verticality" is a straightforward formation: English "vertical" plus the suffix "-ity", which turns an adjective into a noun naming a quality. "Vertical" itself comes from Late Latin "verticalis", from "vertex", the crown or highest point of something, and that in turn comes from "vertere", to turn. The sense is therefore tied to a turning point or pivot, the top around which everything else revolves. The noun is built on the same pattern as many English abstract nouns such as "rationality" and "mortality", and it parallels French "verticalité". Its meaning is simply the state of being upright or perpendicular, most often applied to height in buildings and designs, so a tall tower or a sheer cliff face can be described in terms of its verticality.

Synonyms: uprightness, perpendicularity, steepness

Antonyms: horizontality