ordinate
n.n. the second number in a pair of numbers that describes a position on a graph. It usually shows how far up or down a point is from the center.
n. the second coordinate in a pair of coordinates, typically representing the vertical position in a Cartesian coordinate system. Often used in mathematical or statistical contexts to describe the dependent variable.
The ordinate of the point is five.
In the scatter plot, the researcher plotted the temperature on the ordinate and the time on the abscissa.
By adjusting the scale of the ordinate, the scientist was able to highlight the subtle fluctuations in the data that were previously obscured by the linear scale.
Partly inherited from Middle English ordinat(e) (adjective and participle), partly directly borrowed from Latin ōrdinātus, perfect passive participle of ōrdinō, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Doublet of ordain. Sense 5 of the verb is from a back-formation from ordination.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 19, 2026