rectilinear

Everyday

1. Made of straight lines. tree →
2. Moving in a straight line. tree →
3. (maths) A rectilinear shape has only straight sides, often with right angles, like an L-shape or a rectangle. tree →

In the lessons

In maths it describes compound shapes made of rectangles, for example «find the area of this rectilinear shape» — you split it into rectangles and add the areas. In science «rectilinear motion» is movement in a straight line. It tells the reader that there are no curves. Phrases: «rectilinear shape», «rectilinear figure», «rectilinear motion».

Examples

• Find the perimeter of the rectilinear shape. tree →
• An L-shape is a rectilinear shape. tree →
• Split the rectilinear shape into two rectangles. tree →
• A circle is not rectilinear because it is curved. tree →
• The car moved in rectilinear motion along the straight road. tree →
• The new library has a rectilinear design with flat walls and square corners. tree →
• Draw a rectilinear shape with six sides. tree →

Note

Formal and mostly a maths word. Comes from Latin «rectus» (straight) + «linea» (line). Maths problems: to find the area, split into rectangles and add; for the perimeter, add every side, and work out missing sides by subtracting lengths. It does not mean «rectangle» only.