abscissa

American  

[ab-sis-uh] / æbˈsɪs ə /

noun

Mathematics.

abscissas, plural abscissae plural

1. (in plane Cartesian coordinates) the x-coordinate of a point: its distance from the y-axis measured parallel to the x-axis.

---

abscissa British  

/ æbˈsɪsə /

noun

1. the horizontal or x -coordinate of a point in a two-dimensional system of Cartesian coordinates. It is the distance from the y -axis measured parallel to the x -axis Compare ordinate

---

abscissa Scientific  

/ ăb-sĭs′ə /

abscissas plural

1. The distance of a point from the y-axis on a graph in the Cartesian coordinate system. It is measured parallel to the x-axis. For example, a point having coordinates (2,3) has 2 as its abscissa.

2. Compare ordinate

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• abscissae
  plural
• abscissas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of abscissa

1690–1700; feminine of Latin abscissus (past participle of abscindere to abscind )

Compare meaning

How does abscissa compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ordinate vs. abscissa

Example Sentences

The lowest ERK2 concentration at which the mass signal of the compound was still observed is shown on the abscissa.

From Nature • Apr. 22, 2018

"I know what an abscissa is, any how!" cried the Captain.

From All Around the Moon by Roth, Edward

The distance along the horizontal line—or the abscissa, as a mathematician would call it—represents the date.

From The Story of the Heavens by Ball, Robert S. (Robert Stawell), Sir

The curve as a whole becomes, first slightly convex to the abscissa, then straight and ascending, and lastly concave.

From Response in the Living and Non-Living by Bose, Jagadis Chandra, Sir

Any such event is represented with respect to the co-ordinate system K by the abscissa x and the time t, and with respect to the system K1 by the abscissa x' and the time t'.

From Relativity : the Special and General Theory by Lawson, Robert W. (Robert William)