# Vertical, Horizontal, and...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936 "2003-08-13T16:29:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/1 "2003-08-13T16:29:52Z")
in 3D objects, is there a word to describe a line from front to back? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/2 "2003-08-13T16:39:09Z")
Depth? ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/3 "2003-08-13T16:43:10Z")
If we can’t figure it out, we’ll make up a word that does. I cannot think of the proper word right now, so here are my guesses: 1. Telefore: as in a combination of Tele, as in “far”, and Foreshortning. 2. Distanal: Distance with the “al” ending. 3. Zedinal: The Canadian pronounciation of the Z axis, with the appropriate ending tacked on. ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/4 "2003-08-13T16:44:35Z")
Honorable mention: Length, Lengthwise, Lengthinal? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/5 "2003-08-13T16:48:33Z")
The traditonal 3-axis representation usually has the x-axis as L-R, the y-axis as U-D and the z-axis as F-B (front to back), if that helps. Length x width x depth is how you go about calculating cubic measure. If that helps. Does Diagonal in the Horizontal/Vertical nomenclature scheme fit? There’s also the idea of Orthogonal. Surely there’s a word. ---
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/6 "2003-08-13T16:55:24Z")
what’s orthogonal (since i’m too lazy to use [www.dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com))? i can’t remember the technical word for diagonal… i don’t think it matters… just rambling. maybe there isn’t a word for the third dimension since “vertical” and “horizontal” sound kinda map-ish. i’ve never seen a 3-D map; but that would be pretty cool. i guess it’d be kinda like a shadow box. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/7 "2003-08-13T17:01:51Z")
Basically, orthogonal means (or connotes) being at right angles to. So, even though Horizontal is at right angles to Vertical (in your typical 2-D picture), orthogonal doesn’t work to identify that other right-angle do-funny we’re talking about. Dead End for orthogonal, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/8 "2003-08-13T17:24:06Z")
Where would you use such a word? You can ask somebody to draw a horizontal or vertical line on a piece of paper. But why would you ask them to draw a line along their direction of sight? It would just be a dot. For this reason we probably don’t have (or need) a word for it. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/9 "2003-08-13T17:27:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gypsymoth3 \* > \*\*in 3D objects, is there a word to describe a line from front to back? \*\* front to back and sided to side are both horizontal. You are mixing words and meanings. Horizontal and vertical are referenced to the Earth-ground-horizon and you are looking for words referenced to the observer. While vertical kind of works because we are assuming the observer is also satnding vertically, “horizontal” does not mean anything with respect to the observer and both orthogonal axes perpendicular to the vertical are horizontal. Height, width and depth would be the words I would choose. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/10 "2003-08-13T17:32:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gypsymoth3 \* > \*\*in 3D objects, is there a word to describe a line from front to back? \*\* front to back and sided to side are both horizontal. You are mixing words and meanings. Horizontal and vertical are referenced to the Earth-ground-horizon and you are looking for words referenced to the observer. While vertical kind of works because we are assuming the observer is also satnding vertically, “horizontal” does not mean anything with respect to the observer and both orthogonal axes perpendicular to the vertical are horizontal. Height, width and depth would be the words I would choose. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/11 "2003-08-13T17:34:13Z")
While we’re at the task of finding the word for front-to-back, we might as well go ahead and find the word for the other right angle to all three of those in a 4D model. Have you ever contemplated a cubic light year? A square degree? One of the best units of measure I ever ran across was a _tod_ which my dictionary says is: any of various units of weight for wool; esp: one equal to 28 pounds. So is that 2 stone? Or a month’s worth? Or two fortnight’s worth? How much do you weigh in tod? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/12 "2003-08-13T17:41:29Z")
Lateral. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/13 "2003-08-13T18:23:44Z")
Yep, lateral. After that, we stop making up special words (although I have seen the positive/negative directions on the w-axis referred to as anabein and katabein, respectively). ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/14 "2003-08-13T19:22:08Z")
Actually, doesn’t _lateral_ mean “on the side,” or at most “side to side”? ---
**Author:** ![maksim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed655f/32.png) [@maksim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maksim)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/15 "2011-12-08T09:15:54Z")
In case anyone in the future digs up this thread… I believe the correct term is “normal,” which is perpendicular to the plane you are facing or referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/16 "2011-12-08T15:22:11Z")
> [@Chicago\_Faucet](#): > > If we can’t figure it out, we’ll make up a word that does. I cannot think of the proper word right now, so here are my guesses: > > 1. Telefore: as in a combination of Tele, as in “far”, and Foreshortning. > 2. Distanal: Distance with the “al” ending. > 3. Zedinal: The Canadian pronounciation of the Z axis, with the appropriate ending tacked on. Those sound more like over the counter medications. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/17 "2011-12-08T17:38:41Z")
First thing I thought of was longitudinal, and wiktionary seems to agree: [ > [@](#): > > 1. Forward and/or backward, relative to some defined direction. ]([longitudinal - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/longitudinal)) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/18 "2011-12-08T22:40:27Z")
Further or closer? It’s the most basic dimension, maybe we never thought to give it a special name? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/19 "2011-12-09T00:19:47Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Where would you use such a word? You can ask somebody to draw a horizontal or vertical line on a piece of paper. But why would you ask them to draw a line along their direction of sight? It would just be a dot. For this reason we probably don’t have (or need) a word for it. Uh . . . you are a resident of Flatland, right? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936/20 "2011-12-09T00:22:52Z")
Why can’t it be depthical? It’s kind of an awkward pronunciation, I suppose, but nicely encapsulates the concept. We \*can’t \*call them longitudinals, because then what would we call the short lines? Shortitudinals? 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-horizontal-and/194936.md?page=2)