y-axis

[ wahy-ak-sis ]

/ ˈwaɪˌæk sɪs /

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noun, plural y-ax·es

[wahy-ak-seez]. /ˈwaɪˌæk siz/. Mathematics.

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

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

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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candyfloss

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Origin of y-axis

First recorded in 1925–30

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH y-axis

x-axis, y-axis

Words nearby y-axis

yawnsome, yawny, yawp, yaws, Yaxchilán, y-axis, yay, Yayoi, yazata, Yazd, Yazidi

British Dictionary definitions for y-axis

y-axis

noun

a reference axis, usually vertical, of a graph or two- or three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system along which the y- coordinate is measured

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 y-axis

y-axis

[ wī′ăk′sĭs ]

The vertical axis of a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

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