(obsolete) The state of being cut off. [Attested only in the mid 17th century.]
(rhetoric) A figure of speech employed when a speaker having begun to say a thing stops abruptly
(botany) The natural separation of a part at a predetermined location, such as a leaf at the base of the petiole. [First attested in the late 19th century.]
“High temperature conditions commonly cause flower abscission and seed abortion because of pollination failure.”
“The presence and balance of plant hormones have been shown to affect abscission of leaves, flowers, and immature and mature fruit.”
“The juncture between leaf stem and tree branch slowly seals itself off, forming a corky layer called the abscission zone.”
abscissin
(biochemistry) A planthormone controlling the dropping off or abscission of certain plant parts, notably the leaves of trees in autumn or cotton bolls.
absciss
Alternative form of abscissa[First attested in the late 17th century.]
