orthogonal

adjective

or·thog·o·nal | \ ȯr-ˈthä-gə-nᵊl

Definition of orthogonal

1a : intersecting or lying at right angles In orthogonal cutting, the cutting edge is perpendicular to the direction of tool travel.

b : having perpendicular slopes or tangents at the point of intersection orthogonal curves

2 : having a sum of products or an integral (see integral entry 1 sense 1b) that is zero or sometimes one under specified conditions: such as

a of real-valued functions : having the integral of the product of each pair of functions over a specific interval equal to zero

b of vectors : having the scalar product equal to zero

c of a square matrix : having the sum of products of corresponding elements in any two rows or any two columns equal to one if the rows or columns are the same and equal to zero otherwise : having a transpose with which the product equals the identity matrix

3 of a linear transformation : having a matrix (see matrix sense 5a) that is orthogonal : preserving length and distance

4 : composed of mutually orthogonal elements an orthogonal basis of a vector space

5 : statistically independent mental ability may be classified into several orthogonal … factors— O. D. Duncan

6 : orthographic sense 1 orthogonal projection

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Other Words from orthogonal

orthogonality \ ȯr-ˌthä-gə-ˈna-lə-tē

\ noun

orthogonally \ ȯr-ˈthä-gə-nᵊl-ē

\ adverb

Examples of orthogonal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first-generation Jetta (1980), designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, was an orthogonal paragon of cheap-car virtue. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2019 Volkswagen Jetta: Return of the Great Cheap Car," 10 Aug. 2018 In addition to photos, the system will pull its imagery from sources such as commercial satellite and orthogonal imagery. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "US spy lab hopes to geotag every outdoor photo on social media," 16 Mar. 2018 All of this is, of course, trackable on the handheld's lower screen, the persistence of its orthogonal map eliminating screen-tabbing interruptions and clumsy semi-transparent overlays. — Matt Peckham, Time, "Metroid: Samus Returns Is Exactly the Metroid the 3DS Needs," 27 June 2017 The coal-refining tax credits were approved by Congress and, seeing as the energy industry is completely orthogonal to Mylan's business, there's no reason the company can't snatch up stakes in this business arena. — Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, "EpiPen Maker Mylan Saves Millions in Taxes Thanks to Huge Stakes in Coal Companies," 21 June 2017 The shifting tectonics play off the orthogonal grid of courts. — Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, "Tennis, for Anyone? In the Bronx, the Answer Is Yes," 28 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orthogonal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near orthogonal

orthogonal projection

Statistics for orthogonal

Last Updated

6 Dec 2018

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Time Traveler for orthogonal

The first known use of orthogonal was circa 1560

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More Definitions for orthogonal

orthogonal

adjective

or·thog·o·nal | \ ȯr-ˈthäg-ən-ᵊl

Medical Definition of orthogonal

1a : lying or intersecting at right angles

b : being, using, or made with three ECG leads whose axes are perpendicular to each other and to the frontal, horizontal, and sagittal axes of the body the three orthogonal leads were recorded simultaneously on magnetic tape— Massoud Nemati et al

2 : statistically independent mental ability may be classified into several orthogonal…factors— O. D. Duncan