Verticalize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To arrange or position something in an upright direction or orientation
2. To change or adapt a structure to align with a vertical plane or axis
3. To modify an object or system so that its elements are oriented vertically rather than horizontally

Etymology: "Verticalize" is a plain formation: the adjective "vertical" with the verb-forming suffix "-ize" attached, meaning to make something vertical. "Vertical" itself comes from Late Latin "verticalis," derived from "verticem" (the top or highest point, the whirl of a spinning object), which gives the word its sense of pointing straight up from a base. The suffix "-ize" comes from Greek "-izein," used to build verbs meaning "to make into" or "to cause to become," and English has used it since the Middle Ages to turn adjectives and nouns into verbs. Combining it with "vertical" yields a word that describes the act of making something stand upright, such as "verticalizing" a pipe, a shelf, or a rack.

Synonyms: upright, erect

Antonyms: horizontalize