ver´ti|cal|ness

ver|ti|cal «VUR tuh kuhl», adjective, noun.

–adj.

1. straight up and down; perpendicular to a level surface or to the plane of the horizon; upright. A person standing straight is in a vertical position.

2. of or at the highest point; of the vertex.

3. directly overhead; at the zenith: »

a vertical sighting.

4. so organized as to include many or all stages in the production or distribution of some manufactured product: »

a vertical union, vertical trusts.

5. Botany. a) having a position at right angles to the plane of the axis, body, or other supporting surface, as the blade of a leaf. b) in the direction of the stem or axis; lengthwise.

6. of or having to do with the sounds forming harmony, especially in a homophonic composition.

–n.

1. a vertical line, plane, position, direction, or part.

2. = vertical angle. (Cf. ↑vertical angle)

3. a vertical beam or other part in a truss.

╂[< Late Latin verticālis < vertex, -icis highest point, vertex]

–ver´ti|cal|ly, adverb.

–ver´ti|cal|ness, noun.