x-axis

American  

[eks-ak-sis] / ˈɛksˌæk sɪs /

noun

Mathematics.

plural

x-axes

1. Also called axis of abscissas.  (in a plane Cartesian coordinate system) the axis, usually horizontal, along which the abscissa is measured and from which the ordinate is measured.

2. (in a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system) the axis along which values of x are measured and at which both y and z equal zero.

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x-axis British  

noun

1. a reference axis, usually horizontal, of a graph or two- or three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system along which the x- coordinate is measured

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x-axis Scientific  

/ ĕks′ăk′sĭs /

1. The horizontal axis of a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

2. One of the three axes of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

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Etymology

Origin of x-axis

First recorded in 1925–30

Compare meaning

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

• x-axis vs. y-axis

Example Sentences

But it exacerbated the changes by using a Y axis that started at 125 million and an X axis starting at 1998.

From Washington Post • May 22, 2020

One standard deviation is marked on the X axis for each distribution.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

For instance, Russia's GDP per capita is less than half of that in the United States, so it lands halfway down the chart's X axis.

From Washington Post • Feb. 19, 2016

The X axis in these charts represents the depth of the story—from the start of the page, at 0 pixels, to 12,000 pixels, the very bottom of the page.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2013

The value-curve of gold, expressed in money, is a straight line, parallel to the X axis.

From The Value of Money by Anderson, Benjamin M.