decussate

(dĭ-kŭs'āt', dĕk'ə-sāt')
tr. & intr.v., -sat·ed, -sat·ing, -sates.
To cross or become crossed so as to form an X; intersect.

adj.

1. Intersected or crossed in the form of an X.
2. Botany. Arranged on a stem in opposite pairs at right angles to those above or below, resulting in four vertical rows: decussate leaves.

[Latin decussāre, decussāt-, from decussis, the number ten, intersection of two lines (from the Romans' use of X for the numeral 10), a ten-as coin : decem, ten + assis, as (coin).]

decussately de·cus'sate'ly adv.

(verb: di-KUHS-ayt, DEK-uh-sayt, adjective: di-KUHS-ayt, -it)

verb tr.
To intersect or to cross.

adjective
1. Intersected or crossed in the form of an X.
2. Arranged in pairs along the stem, each pair at a right angle to the one above or below.

Etymology
The word originated from Latin "as" (plural asses) which was a copper coin and the monetary unit in ancient Rome. The word for ten asses was decussis, from Latin decem (ten) + as (coin). Since ten is represented by X, this spawned the verb decussare, meaning to divide in the form of an X or intersect

Samuel Johnson, lexicographer extraordinaire, has a well-deserved reputation for his magnum opus "A Dictionary of the English Language", but as they say, even Homer nods. He violated one of the dictums of lexicography -- do not define a word using harder words than the one being defined -- when he used today's word and two other uncommon words in defining the word network:
Network: Any thing reticulated or decussated, at equal distances, with interstices between the intersections.
And what is "reticulated"? Again, according to Johnson:
Reticulated: Made of network; formed with interstitial vacuities.

Rustic Orange Coleus with decussate leaves:



[photo William Reynolds www.flickr.com/photos/mausgabe/2598668258/ ]

Usage
"How I wished then that my body, too, if it had to droop and shrivel, for surely everyone's did, would furl and decussate with grace to sculpt the victory of my spirit." — J. Nozipo Maraire; Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter; Delta; 1997.

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verb

To pass through or over: crisscross, cross, crosscut, cut across, intersect. See meet.

1. to cross especially in the form of Y.
2. crossed especially like the letter Y.

[fr. L. decussis, the number ten (X), intersection of two lines]
to intersect; hence, decussation: an intersection esp. in the form of an X