Illustration of abscissa
- AP abscissa of point P
abscissa
noun
ab·scis·sa ab-ˈsi-sə 
plural abscissas also abscissae ab-ˈsi-(ˌ)sē
: the horizontal coordinate of a point in a plane Cartesian coordinate system obtained by measuring parallel to the x-axis compare ordinate
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin (short for linea abscissa, literally, "cut-off line"), going back to Latin, feminine of abscissus, past participle of abscindere "to tear off or away," from ab- ab- + scindere "to split, separate, tear apart," going back to Indo-European *sḱhi-n-d-, nasal present formation from the base *sḱhei̯̯d- "split, separate" — more at shed entry 1
First Known Use
1694, in the meaning defined above