abscission

[ab-sizh-uh n, -sish-]

See more synonyms for abscission on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of cutting off; sudden termination.
Botany. the normal separation of flowers, fruit, and leaves from plants.

Origin of abscission

First recorded in 1605–15, abscission is from the Latin word abscissiōn- (stem of abscissiō). See abscissa, -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for abscission

extirpation, cutting, removal, ablation, abscission, section, incision, resection, enucleation

British Dictionary definitions for abscission

abscission

noun

the separation of leaves, branches, flowers, and bark from plants by the formation of an abscission layer
the act of cutting off

Word Origin for abscission

C17: from Latin abscissiōn-, from ab- 1 + scissiō a cleaving

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abscission

"removal or cutting away," early 15c., from Latin abscissionem (nominative abscissio) "a cutting off," noun of action from past participle stem of abscindere (see abscissa).

abscission in Medicine

abscission

[ăb-sĭzh′ən]

The act of cutting off or away.

abscission in Science

abscission

[ăb-sĭzh′ən]

The separation of a leaf, flower, or fruit from a plant as a result of natural structural and chemical changes.♦ The abscission zone is a layer of weak, thin-walled cells that form across the base of the plant part where the break eventually occurs. A corky layer containing suberin forms beneath the abscission zone to protect the plant.