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abscissa

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ab⋅scis⋅sa

  [ab-sis-uh]
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–noun, plural -scis⋅sas, -scis⋅sae  [-sis-ee] . Mathematics.
(in plane Cartesian coordinates) the x-coordinate of a point: its distance from the y-axis measured parallel to the x-axis.
Compare ordinate.

Origin:
1690–1700; fem. of L abscissus (ptp. of abscindere to abscind )
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ab·scis·sa   (āb-sĭs'ə)   


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n.   Symbol x2 pl. ab·scis·sas or ab·scis·sae (-sĭs'ē)
The coordinate representing the position of a point along a line perpendicular to the y-axis in a plane Cartesian coordinate system.

[New Latin (līnea) abscissa, (line) cut off, from Latin abscissa, feminine of abscissus, past participle of abscindere, to abscise; see abscise.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

abscissa 
1698, from L. abscissa (linea) "(a line) cut off," from fem. pp. of abscindere "to cut off," from ab- "off, away" + scindere "to cut" (see shed (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

abscissa mathematics
The horizontal or x coordinate on an (x, y) graph; the input of a function against which the output is plotted.
The vertical or y coordinate is the "ordinate".
See Cartesian coordinates.
(1997-07-08)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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