what is vertical

Vertical refers to a direction or plane that is perpendicular to the local gravity direction at a given point. In general, something that is vertical can be drawn from up to down or down to up, such as the y-axis in the Cartesian coordinate system. It can also describe something that rises straight up from a horizontal line or plane, like a telephone pole or a tree. The term "vertical" is derived from the late Latin "verticalis," which is from the same root as "vertex," meaning "highest point" or more literally the "turning point" such as in a whirlpool.