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bisect

[v. bahy-sekt, bahy-sekt; n. bahy-sekt]

Example Sentences Origin

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.

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Bisect is one of our favorite verbs.

So is absquatulate. Does it mean:

to flee; abscond:

to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.

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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.

Origin:
1640–50; bi-¹ + -sect

Related forms

bi·sec·tion, noun

bi·sec·tion·al, adjective

bi·sec·tion·al·ly, adverb

Can be confused: bisect, dissect.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To bisect

Example Sentences

But the velvet ropes had a tendency to bisect the fun.

Most important, it has buried the railway line that used to bisect the city.

Modest houses and trailer homes offer views of the highway and the railroad tracks that bisect the town.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

bisect (baɪˈsɛkt)

—vb
1.	(tr) maths to divide into two equal parts
2.	to cut or split into two

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

bisection

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bisect

"to cut in two," 1640s, from Mod.L. bisectus, pp. of bisecare, from bi- "two" + secare "to cut" (see section).

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

bisect (bī'sěkt', bī-sěkt') Pronunciation Key
To cut or divide into two parts, especially two equal parts.