Where does “orthogonal” come from?
Orthogonal comes from French orthogonal, from Medieval Latin orthogonalis, from Latin orthogonius, from Ancient Greek ὀρθογώνιος meaning having a right angle.
orthogonal (English): Of two objects, at right angles; perpendicular to...
Definitions
- Of two objects, at right angles; perpendicular to...
Ancestry of “orthogonal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | orthogonal | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | orthogonalis | orthogonal |
| 3 | Latin | orthogonius | right-angled; rectangular; orthogonal |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὀρθογώνιος | right-angled; rectangular |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀρθός | straight, upright, erect; straight forward, in a... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | ortʰwós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃r̥dʰwós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃erdʰ- | to increase, grow; upright, high |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |