decussate en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /dɪˈkʌseɪt/
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1825, the verb in 1658. Borrowed from Latin decussātus, perfect passive participle of decussō (“to divide crosswise, arrange crosswise or mark with a cross”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from decussis (“a coin worth ten asses; a cross sign (from the cross shape of the Roman numeral for ten carved on the coins)”), from decem (“ten”) + as (“a Roman coin”).
Meanings
- Crossed; intersected; resembling a letter X.
- Having anatomical structures or markings crossing each other, typically in an X shape or at right angles.
-
Having opposite leaves arranged alternately at right angles.
Juniperites, ju-ne-per-i′tis, s[ubstantive]. A genus of fossil plants, in which the branches are ranged irregularly; leaves short, obtuse, inserted by a broad base, opposite, decussate, and arranged in four rows.
1849, John Craig, “Juniperites”, in A New Universal Etymological, Technological, and Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language, Embracing All the Terms Used in Art, Science, and Literature, volumes II (Jac–Zyt), London: Published (for the proprietors,) by Henry George Collins, 22 Paternoster Row, →OCLC, page 15:
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(rhetoric) Consisting of two rising and two falling clauses, placed in alternate opposition to each other.
a decussated period
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most decussate | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more decussate | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
redecussate · decussately · hemidecussate
Synonyms
Translations (1)
es decusado (crossed)