Dictionary.com

bisect

[ verb bahy-sekt, bahy-sekt; noun bahy-sekt ]
/ verb baɪˈsɛkt, ˈbaɪ sɛkt; noun ˈbaɪ sɛkt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: bisect / bisected / bisection on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
to cut or divide into two equal or nearly equal parts.
Geometry. to cut or divide into two equal parts: to bisect an angle.
to intersect or cross: the spot where the railroad tracks bisect the highway.
verb (used without object)
to split into two, as a road; fork: There's a charming old inn just before the road bisects.
noun
Also called split. Philately. a portion of a stamp, usually half, used for payment of a proportionate amount of the face value of the whole stamp.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of bisect

1640–50; bi-1 + -sect<Latin sectus, past participle of secāre to cut, sever; see section

OTHER WORDS FROM bisect

bi·sec·tion, nounbi·sec·tion·al, adjectivebi·sec·tion·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bisect

bisect , dissect
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bisect in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bisect

bisect
/ (baɪˈsɛkt) /

verb
(tr) maths to divide into two equal parts
to cut or split into two

Derived forms of bisect

bisection (baɪˈsɛkʃən), noun

Word Origin for bisect

C17: bi- 1 + -sect from Latin secāre to cut
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

Scientific definitions for bisect

bisect
[ bīsĕkt′, bī-sĕkt ]

To cut or divide into two parts, especially two equal parts.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK