/ab sis"euh/ , n. , pl. abscissas, abscissae /-sis"ee/ . Math.
(in plane Cartesian coordinates) the x-coordinate of a point: its distance from the y-axis measured parallel to the x-axis. Cf. ordinate .
[ 1690-1700; fem. of L abscissus (ptp. of abscindere to ABSCIND) ]