Definition
abscissa
noun
- The x-coordinate of a point in a plane Cartesian coordinate system; the horizontal distance from the y-axis.
Usage: mathematics; commonly used in algebra and geometry
Examples
- In the coordinate pair (3, 5), the abscissa is 3.
- The abscissa measures how far a point is from the vertical y-axis.
- To plot the point, first locate the abscissa on the horizontal axis.
- The abscissa and ordinate together determine the exact location of a point on a graph.
- When the abscissa equals zero, the point lies on the y-axis.