Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “abscissa” come from?

Abscissa comes from Latin abscissa, the feminine past participle of abscindere meaning "cut off," derived from ab- "away" and scindere "to cut."

abscissa (English): The first of the two terms by which a point is...

Definitions

  1. The first of the two terms by which a point is...

Ancestry of “abscissa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinabscissaabscissa; nominative feminine singular of...
2Latinabscissustorn off, having been torn away; cut off,...
3Latinabscindō—
4Latinscindō—
5Proto-Italicskindōto cut, to tear, to rend, to separate
6Proto-Indo-Europeanskinédtito be cutting off
7Proto-Indo-Europeansḱeyd-to shade; to cut off; to part with, separate, cut...
8Proto-Indo-Europeansḱēy-to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,...
9Proto-Germanicskaidąseparation, distinction
10Proto-Indo-EuropeanskÁit-to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,...

Words derived from “abscissa”

  • absciss
Every word from Proto-Indo-European skÁit- →