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decussate

de·cus·sate

UK/dɪˈkʌseɪt/ uncommon
adjective (1) verb (1)

adjective

1.

crossed or intersected in the form of an X

Synonyms
Similar

verb

1.

cross or intersect so as to form a cross

  • “this nerve decussates the other”
  • “the fibers decussate”

Origin

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”).

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.