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