The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
adj. Moving in, consisting of, bounded by, or characterized by a straight line or lines: following a rectilinear path; rectilinear patterns in wallpaper.
Straight-lined; bounded by straight lines; consisting of a straight line or of straight lines; straight: as, a rectilinear figure or course. Also rectilineal.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
adj. characterized by a straight line or lines
Word Usage
"The lens used for this purpose must be capable of giving a perfectly sharp picture right up to the edges, and must be of the class called rectilinear, i.e., giving straight lines."