What does horizontality mean?
Horizontality is a formal noun meaning the state or quality of being horizontal, or level and parallel to the horizon. In everyday language, it describes a surface that has no appreciable slope, but the word is especially common in technical contexts such as surveying, construction, engineering, architecture, and navigation. A builder may check the horizontality of a foundation, while an artist might discuss the horizontality of a painted horizon line. The term can also imply precision or careful control, rather than merely an approximate level appearance. It is the noun corresponding to the adjective horizontal and is more specialized than ordinary words such as levelness or flatness, making it especially useful when precision or orientation is the central point.
nounThe state or quality of being horizontal, especially level or parallel to the horizon. It can also refer to the horizontal orientation or arrangement of something.
- The state of being horizontal or level.
- The quality of having a flat, level, or uninclined arrangement.
"The surveyors checked the horizontality of the construction site before the foundations were poured."
"The engineer used a precision level to verify the horizontality of the beams."
"The painting's sense of depth depends on the careful horizontality of its horizon line."
Usually singular; the plural is grammatically possible but uncommon.
"The study compared the horizontalities of the two surfaces under different conditions."
Horizontality gives a formal name to the everyday idea of something being perfectly level.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does horizontality come from?
The word is derived from horizontal, which comes through Latin from the Greek horizein, meaning 'to bound' or 'to separate'. The related noun horizon originally referred to the boundary separating the earth from the sky and later came to mean the line of sight or the general level of observation. Horizontality developed as a noun meaning the condition of being level or parallel to that boundary.
Related word forms
How horizontality is actually used
Formal and somewhat technical. It is more common in engineering, surveying, construction, and discussions of design, but can be used generally when emphasizing exact levelness.