What does applicate mean?
The applicate is a specialized mathematical term used in three-dimensional coordinate geometry to denote the third coordinate of a point — its position along the z-axis. Just as the abscissa gives a point's horizontal position and the ordinate its vertical position in a plane, the applicate completes the picture by specifying how far above or below that plane the point lies. The word derives from the Latin applicare, meaning 'to attach' or 'to bring near', the same root that produced familiar words such as application and applicable. Although it appears in traditional textbooks and classroom instruction on solid analytic geometry, the applicate has largely been displaced in modern usage by the simpler phrase 'z-coordinate'. It remains a useful term for anyone reading older mathematical literature or studying classical treatments of spatial coordinates.
nounIn three-dimensional coordinate geometry, the applicate is the third coordinate of a point — its distance along the z-axis — completing the pair formed by the abscissa (x) and ordinate (y).
- The z-coordinate of a point in a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, giving its position along the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the abscissa and ordinate.
"To locate the point fully in space, the mathematician recorded its abscissa, ordinate, and applicate."
"The teacher asked the students to identify the abscissa, ordinate, and applicate of each plotted point."
"In the solid-geometry textbook, the applicate was labelled simply as the z-value."
As a pluralizable noun, though the singular is overwhelmingly more common since each point has only one applicate.
"The table listed the applicates of all the plotted points."
Every point in space has three names for its coordinates — abscissa, ordinate, and applicate — yet almost no one outside geometry class has ever heard of the third one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of applicate
Applicate comes from the Latin verb applicare, meaning 'to attach to' or 'to bring into contact with', which also gave rise to English words such as application, applicable, and appliance. The term entered mathematical usage through the tradition of naming the three Cartesian coordinates individually, alongside the older terms abscissa (from Latin abscindere, 'to cut off') and ordinate (from Latin ordinare, 'to arrange'). Its use has been chiefly in European and British mathematical texts describing the z-axis.
How applicate is actually used
A technical term confined almost entirely to mathematics education and older analytic-geometry texts; it is rarely encountered in everyday language or even in modern casual mathematical writing, where 'z-coordinate' is preferred.
Easily confused with applicate
The abscissa is the first (x) coordinate of a point, whereas the applicate is the third (z) coordinate in three-dimensional space.
The ordinate is the second (y) coordinate of a point, while the applicate is the third (z) coordinate.
An application is an act of putting something to use or a software program; the applicate is purely a geometric term for a z-coordinate.