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Abapical
Abapical means opposite of the apex (top or highest
point), furthest from the apex, or directed away from the
apex. In other words, something that is abapical is at
the lowest point or closest to the bottom.
There are many examples in medicine and science in
which abapical is used, particularly in biology (the study
of living organisms).
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Examples include the abapical suture (stitch), abapical
extremity (arm or leg), abapical margin, abapical edge,
abapical band, abapical digit (finger or toe) abapical
position, abapical projection, abapical side of a whorl
(spiral shell). In the study of sea life, abapical is
sometimes used to mean away from the shell apex
toward the base along the axis or slightly oblique to it.
The above caption shows two
ends of a seashell. The top
pointy part is the apex. The
bottom part is opposite of the
apexa and is abapical.
Although the term tends to be used to describe the location of something, it can also be
used to describe more abstract topics. For example, the term can be used to describe
someone’s mood state. If someone is in an abapical mood that would mean that he/she
was having a really bad day. The opposite of abapical is apical, which means to be
connected with the apex. Abapical comes from the Latin word “ab” meaning “away from”
and the Latin word “apex” meaning “tip.” Put the words together and you get “away from
(the) tip.”
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