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.

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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

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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

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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

In the screws now under consideration, the values of the pitch/diameter vary only from 1.2 to 1.34, and for these the abscissa values for the same slips do not differ much.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 598, June 18, 1887 by Various

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

From All Around the Moon by Roth, Edward

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)

The measured lengths are marked off on ordinates erected on an abscissa, along which the times are noted.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" by Various