People from Computer Science backgrounds often use the word “orthogonal.” I think that’s partly because it concisely describes an often-important concept, but mostly because it’s one of the few impressive words in our vernacular. (“Idempotent” is my other favorite CS term.)
Other professions get to use a variety of big words. Physicians, for example, have a rich, domain-specific vocabulary. So do economists. Lawyers have perhaps the best lexicon; not only do they get to use big, fancy words, but half of those words are in Latin.
Thus it was a pleasant surprise to read that a lawyer had adopted our humble “orthogonal” and earned kudos from the Justices of the United States Supreme Court for it.
