grid system
compound.compound. a pattern of straight lines that cross each other to form squares. It is used to organize things like street maps, website layouts, or drawings.
compound. a framework of spaced horizontal and vertical lines used to structure content or organize spatial layouts. Common in urban planning, graphic design, and web development to ensure alignment and consistency.
The city uses a grid system for its streets.
The designer used a flexible grid system to ensure the website looked good on both phones and computers.
By implementing a modular grid system, the architect managed to standardize the building components while allowing for significant variation in the final aesthetic of the housing complex.
A compound formed from the Old English 'gridel', denoting a grating or frame of parallel bars, and the Latin 'systema', referring to an organized whole. The specific application to graphic design and layout emerged from the Swiss Style of typography in the mid-twentieth century.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often used in technical contexts like design, architecture, and geography.
Last updated July 22, 2026