Vertically

How to spell vertically

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce vertically

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does vertically mean?

1. adverbIn an upright direction, running straight up and down rather than across.

Vertically in a sentence

• The shelves were stacked vertically to save floor space.

• The climbers ascended the cliff almost vertically.

Where does vertically come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin verb vertere, meaning 'to turn', and its noun vertex, which described the turning point or the very top of something, such as the crown of the head or the highest point of the sky. From vertex came the adjective verticalis, meaning 'at or relating to the highest point', which in everyday use came to mean 'standing upright' along the line running straight up to that overhead point. English borrowed 'vertical' through French in the late 1500s, and the adverb 'vertically' was formed in English by adding the familiar -ly ending. The same vertere root spins through many English relatives, including 'convert', 'reverse', and 'vertigo'. The spelling trap is the unstressed middle: the -ic-al-ly stack hides three weak syllables, so writers often drop a letter or muddle the ending.

How the word is built

• vert- (from Latin vertere: to turn)
• -ic (relating to)
• -al (adjective)
• -ly (adverb suffix)