vertex

See also: vèrtex

English

Etymology

From Latin vertex (“top, peak”), from vertere (“to turn”)

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /vɜːteks/

Noun

vertex (plural vertices or vertexes)

1. The highest point of something.
2. (anatomy) The highest surface on the skull.
3. (geometry) The common point of the two rays of the angle, or its equivalent structure in polyhedra (meeting of edges) and higher order polytopes.
4. (mathematics) A point on the curve with a local minimum or maximum of curvature.
5. (graph theory) One of the elements of a graph joined or not by edges to other vertices.
6. (computer graphics) A point in 3D space, usually given in terms of its Cartesian coordinates.
7. (optics) The point where the surface of a lens crosses the optical axis.
8. (nuclear or particle physics) An interaction point.
9. (astrology) The point where the prime vertical meets the ecliptic in the western hemisphere of a natal chart.
10. (typography) A sharp downward point opposite a crotch, as in the letters "V" and "W" but not "Y".

Synonyms

• (highest point): acme, apex, peak, top
• (element of a graph): node

Coordinate terms

• (element of a graph): plot
• (sharp downward point): apex

Derived terms

• vertexal
• vertexial
• vertex shader

Translations

highest point

• Aragonese: vértiz m
• Catalan: vèrtex (ca) m
• Czech: vrchol (cs) m
• Danish: toppunkt n
• Dutch: toppunt (nl)
• Finnish: huippu (fi)
• French: sommet (fr) m
• Georgian: ზენიტი (zeniṭi)
• Hebrew: פסגה‎ (he) f (pisga)
• Italian: vertice (it) m
• Japanese: 頂 (ja) (いただき, itadaki), 頂点 (ja) (ちょうてん, chōten)
• Lithuanian: viršūnė f

• Macedonian: врв m (vrv)
• Maori: akitu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: toppunkt n

• Polish: wierzchołek (pl) m
• Portuguese: cume (pt) m, vértice (pt) m, topo (pt) m
• Russian: верши́на (ru) f (veršína), верху́шка (ru) f (verxúška)
• Serbo-Croatian: vrh (sh) m
• Slovak: vrchol m
• Spanish: cumbre (es) f, vértice (es) m

anatomy: highest surface on skull

• Arabic: يَافُوخ‎ m (yāfūḵ)
• Belarusian: це́мя n (cjémja)
• Bulgarian: те́ме (bg) n (téme)
• Catalan: vèrtex (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 頭頂 (zh), 头頂 (zh) (tóudǐng)

• Czech: temeno (cs) n
• Finnish: päälaki (fi)
• French: sommet (fr) m (de la tête)
• German: Scheitel (de) m
• Greek: βρέγμα (el) n (vrégma)
• Hebrew: קודקוד‎ (he) m (kodkód)
• Ido: vertico (io)
• Italian: vertice (it) f
• Japanese: 頭頂 (とうちょう, tōchō)

• Korean: 정수리 (ko) (jeongsuri)
• Lithuanian: viršugalvis f
• Macedonian: теме n (teme)
• Polish: ciemię n
• Portuguese: vértice (pt) m
• Russian: те́мя (ru) n (témja), маку́шка (ru) f (makúška) (colloquial), ма́ковка (ru) f (mákovka) (colloquial)
• Scottish Gaelic: bàrr a' chinn m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: теме n

  Roman: teme (sh) n

• Slovak: temeno
• Slovene: teme n
• Spanish: vértice (es) m
• Ukrainian: ті́м'я n (tímʺja), ма́ківка f (mákivka)

geometry: corner of a polygon or polyhedron

• Arabic: رَأْس‎ (ar) m (raʾs)
• Armenian: գագաթ (hy) (gagatʿ)
• Catalan: vèrtex (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 頂點 (zh), 顶点 (zh) (dǐngdiǎn), 節點 (zh), 节点 (zh) (jiédiǎn)

• Czech: vrchol (cs) m
• Dutch: hoek (nl)
• Esperanto: vertico
• Finnish: kärki (fi)
• French: sommet (fr) m
• Georgian: მწვერვალი (mc̣vervali)
• German: Scheitelpunkt (de) m, Eckpunkt (de) m
• Hebrew: קודקוד‎ (he) m (kodkód)
• Hungarian: csúcs (hu)

• Italian: vertice (it) m
• Japanese: 頂点 (ja) (ちょうてん, chōten), 節点 (せってん, setten)
• Lithuanian: viršūnė f
• Macedonian: теме n (teme)
• Maori: akitu
• Persian: رأس‎ (fa)
• Polish: wierzchołek (pl) m
• Portuguese: vértice (pt) m
• Romanian: vârf (ro) n
• Russian: верши́на (ru) f (veršína)
• Serbo-Croatian: vrh (sh) m
• Spanish: vértice (es) m
• Tagalog: tuktok, bagtasan

element of a graph

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 頂點 (zh), 顶点 (zh) (dǐngdiǎn)

• Czech: vrchol (cs) m
• Dutch: knoop (nl)
• Esperanto: vertico
• Finnish: solmu (fi)
• French: sommet (fr)
• German: Knoten (de) m, Ecke (de) f
• Hebrew: קודקוד‎ (he) m (kodkód), צומת‎ (he) m (tzómet)
• Hungarian: csúcs (hu), pont (hu)

• Italian: nodo (it) m
• Japanese: 頂点 (ja) (ちょうてん, chōten)
• Macedonian: теме n (teme)
• Polish: wierzchołek (pl) m
• Portuguese: vértice (pt) m
• Russian: верши́на (ru) f (veršína)
• Serbo-Croatian: vrh (sh) m
• Slovak: vrchol m
• Spanish: vértice (es) m, nodo (es) m

computer graphics: point in 3D space

• Finnish: verteksi (fi)
• Georgian: მწვერვალი (mc̣vervali)
• German: Scheitelpunkt (de) m
• Italian: vertice (it) m
• Macedonian: теме n (teme)

• Portuguese: vértice (pt) m
• Russian: верши́на (ru) f (veršína)
• Serbo-Croatian: vrh (sh) m, verteks (sh) m
• Spanish: vértice (es) m

optics: point where the surface of an optical element crosses the optical axis

• Finnish: keskipiste (fi)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can

• Spanish: vértice (es) m

physics: interaction point

• Finnish: vuorovaikutuspiste
• Italian: please add this translation if you can

• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

See also

• Mathworld article on vertices of polyhedra
• Mathworld article on verticies of polygons

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Latin

Etymology

From vortex, from vertō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈwer.teks/, [ˈwɛr.t̪ɛks]

Noun

vertex m (genitive verticis); third declension

1. whirlpool, eddy, vortex
2. crown (of the head)
3. top, peak, summit
4. pole (North or South)

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	vertex	verticēs
Genitive	verticis	verticum
Dative	verticī	verticibus
Accusative	verticem	verticēs
Ablative	vertice	verticibus
Vocative	vertex	verticēs

Antonyms

• (top): fundus

Descendants

• English: vertex
• German: Vertex m
• Portuguese: vértice
• Spanish: vértice

Further reading

• vertex in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• vertex in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• vertex in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• vertex in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the pole: vertex caeli, axis caeli, cardo caeli