orthogonality.

1. A perpendicular relation between lines, directions or geometric elements.

2. A relation in which the relevant inner product is zero.

3. Independence or noninterference between concerns or dimensions in the relevant design or analysis.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• orthogonality of axes
• geometric orthogonality

On the page

The diagram marked the orthogonality of the axes.

Orthogonality of the directions was checked independently of their lengths.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: explicit explanation, scope and categorization, proof and interpretation, philosophical foundations. Disciplines: academic writing, formal reasoning, philosophy. Commonness: moderately common.