Widthways

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner concerned with the horizontal span or breadth of an object or area Positioned or oriented toward the width instead of length Pertaining to the aspect that highlights lateral dimensions over longitudinal ones
2. Across or extending from one side to the other side, covering the breadth rather than the length
3. In a direction spanning the shorter dimension of an object, moving from left to right or vice versa

Etymology: "Widthways" is a plain English formation: the noun "width" with the adverbial suffix "-ways," which has been attached to nouns in English since Old English to mean "in the direction or manner of." Compare "sideways," "lengthways," and "edgeways," all built the same way. The suffix itself comes from the Old English "weg," meaning "way" or "path," so the word literally means "in the way of the width." "Width" dates from the 1500s, formed by adding "-th" to the adjective "wide," a pattern that produced "length," "breadth," and "depth" too. The older word "wideness" was in use before it, and "width" gradually displaced it. Its earliest appearances are typically dated to around 1600, so "widthways" is a later coinage built on top of that noun.

Synonyms: horizontally, laterally, crosswise, sideways, across

Antonyms: lengthwise, vertically, upward, downward, longitudinally