adjective

diagonal

diagonal, slanting

Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner.

Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner.

The path cuts across the park on a diagonal.

The path cuts across the park on a diagonal.

((as an adjective before a noun)) joining two opposite corners. She cut the sandwich into two diagonal halves.

((as a noun, often with 'on')) a straight line joining two opposite corners. The shape has a long diagonal.

Synonyms: slanting, angled, oblique; Antonyms: horizontal, vertical

From Greek 'diagōnios', from 'dia-' (across) + 'gōnia' (angle, corner). Literally 'from angle to angle'.

Think of 'dia-' (across) and '-gon' (angle/corner) - a line going across the corners.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.