perpendicle means something that hangs down, especially straight down, such as a plumb line. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 91 out of 100.
Why “perpendicle” is a great word
PERPENDICLE — [Noun] An object that hangs down, especially in a straight, vertical line. From Middle English perpendicle, from Latin perpendiculum, a plumb line, from per- ("through") + pendere ("to hang"). Unlike a "plumb line," a tool for determining verticality, or a "pendant," an ornament suspended for adornment, a perpendicle is the broader, archaic principle of the hanging thing itself. It is the dead-still icicle before the thaw, the single drop trembling from a tap, the spider motionless on its thread—gravity's patient argument against flight.
noun
- Something that hangs down, especially straight down, such as a plumb line.“For quotations using this term, see Citations:perpendicle.”