ORTHOGONAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does orthogonal mean? 

• ORTHOGONAL (adjective)
  The adjective ORTHOGONAL has 3 senses:

1. not pertinent to the matter under consideration

2. statistically unrelated

3. having a set of mutually perpendicular axes; meeting at right angles

  Familiarity information: ORTHOGONAL used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ORTHOGONAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Not pertinent to the matter under consideration

Synonyms:

extraneous; immaterial; impertinent; orthogonal

Context example:

mentioned several impertinent facts before finally coming to the point

Similar:

irrelevant (having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Statistically unrelated

Similar:

unrelated (lacking a logical or causal relation)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Having a set of mutually perpendicular axes; meeting at right angles

Synonyms:

orthogonal; rectangular

Context example:

a rectangular Cartesian coordinate system

Similar:

perpendicular (intersecting at or forming right angles)

Derivation:

orthogonality (the quality of lying or intersecting at right angles)

 Context examples 

An electrocardiogram (ECG) lead placement for determining 3 orthogonal components X (back to front), Y (right to left) and Z (foot to head) of the heart.

(Lead Placement McFee-Parungao, NCI Thesaurus)

An electrocardiogram (ECG) lead placement for determining 3 orthogonal components X (right to left direction), Y (foot to head direction) and Z (back to front direction) of the heart.

(Lead Placement Frank, NCI Thesaurus)

This body plan has spatial references, or axes, that guide the emergence of tissues and organs: an antero-posterior axis defined by the head at one end and the tail at the other, an orthogonal dorso-ventral axis and a medio-lateral axis, which orientates the arrangement of internal organs like the liver, pancreas or the heart.

(Scientists develop mouse ‘embryo-like structures’ with organisation along body’s major axes, University of Cambridge)