incisa

Incisa is a term used in Latin, Italian toponymy, and botanical description, with several distinct meanings. In Latin, incisa is the feminine form of the past participle incisus, meaning cut into or engraved. It appears in scientific and descriptive contexts to indicate something that is notched, incised, or carved.

In botanical usage, incisa describes leaves or other plant parts with deep or regular indentations along their margins. Phrases such as folia incisa or marginibus incisis are used to convey that the edge of the leaf is cut into lobes or teeth. The term helps distinguish leaf morphology in keys, descriptions, and classifications.

Geographically, Incisa occurs in Italian place names. The municipality of Incisa Scapaccino is in the province of Asti, Piedmont. Another toponym is Incisa in Val d’Arno, historically a separate comune in Tuscany; since 2014 it has been part of the merged comune of Figline e Incisa Valdarno. In these contexts, the element Incisa may reflect historical features, landforms, or a family name associated with the locality.

As a surname or in onomastic usage, Incisa can appear as part of longer family names derived from the places or from descriptive Latin elements. The exact origin and meaning of a given usage often depend on local history and etymology. Overall, Incisa functions as a multi-domain term spanning language, biology, and geography, with each usage arising from the common idea of “incision” or “cut.”