Abscission

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Abscission \Ab*scis"sion\, n. [L. abscissio. See {Abscind}.]
     1. The act or process of cutting off. "Not to be cured
        without the abscission of a member." --Jer. Taylor.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The state of being cut off. --Sir T. Browne.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Rhet.) A figure of speech employed when a speaker having
        begun to say a thing stops abruptly: thus, "He is a man of
        so much honor and candor, and of such generosity -- but I
        need say no more."
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  abscission
       n 1: shedding of flowers and leaves and fruit following formation
            of scar tissue in a plant
       2: the act of cutting something off [syn: {cutting off}]