Decussate

v. t. [imp. & p. p. DECUSSATED; p. pr. & vb. n. DECUSSATING.] [Lat. decussare, decussatum, to cross like an X, from decussis (originally equivalent to decem asses), the number ten, which the Romans represented by X.] To cross at an acute angle; to intersect; to lie upon in the form of an X;—used in geometry, of lines; in optics, of rays; in anatomy, of the nerves.

a. [Lat. decussatus, p. p. of decussare.]

1Sense 1. Crossed; intersected.

2Sense 2. (Bot.) Growing in pairs, each of which is at right angles to the next pair above or below; as, decussated leaves or branches.

3Sense 3. (Rhet.) Consisting of two rising and two falling clauses, placed in alternate opposition to each other; as, a decussated period.