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View synonyms for decussate

decussate

[ adjective dih-kuhs-eyt, -it; verb dih-kuhs-eyt, dek-uh-seyt ]

adjective

  1. in the form of an X ; crossed; intersected.
  2. Botany. arranged along the stem in pairs, each pair at right angles to the pair next above or below, as leaves.


verb (used without object)

, de·cus·sat·ed, de·cus·sat·ing.
  1. to intersect; cross in the form of an X :

    About 75 percent of these nerve fibers decussate in the medulla.

decussate

verb

  1. to cross or cause to cross in the form of the letter X; intersect
“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


adjective

  1. in the form of the letter X; crossed; intersected
  2. botany (esp of leaves) arranged in opposite pairs, with each pair at right angles to the one above and below it
“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
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Derived Forms

  • deˈcussately, adverb
  • ˌdecusˈsation, noun
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Other Words From

  • de·cus·sate·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of decussate1

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin decussātus “divided in the form of an X” (past participle of decussāre ), equivalent to Latin decuss(is) “the numeral ten,” originally, “a ten-as weight,” supposedly from unrecorded dec(-em) assis ); ten, as 2, -ate 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of decussate1

C17: from Latin decussāre, from decussis the number ten, from decem ten
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Example Sentences

Fertile catkins globular, of shield-shaped scales decussate in pairs, bearing few (1–4) erect bottle-shaped ovules at base.

A Melaleuca with very small decussate leaves, a tree about twenty-five feet high, was growing on the scrubby ridges.

The whorls or pairs alternate or cross each other, usually at right angles, that is, they decussate.

The remaining fibres pass down as the direct pyramidal tract, and decussate in the cord near their termination.

Thus, leaves normally opposite and decussate may, by fusion, become alternate.

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decurydecussation