cutting, in horticulture, part of a plant stem, leaf, or root cut off and used for producing a new plant. It is a convenient and inexpensive method of propagation, not possible for all plants but used generally for grapes; chrysanthemums; verbenas (stem cuttings); blackberries (root cuttings); African violets (leaf cuttings); and for many other plants. Cuttings, as soon as they are made, are usually placed in moist sand, frequently heated from below; if taken in the fall, as hardwood cuttings of trees or shrubs, they are kept in unheated sand over the winter and planted in the spring. The word cutting alone usually means stem cutting; slip is a common synonym. The general availability today of rooting hormones and misting devices has made possible the propagation by cuttings of many kinds of plants that had not previously responded favorably.

Flagg, Azariah Cutting, 1790-1873, American political leader, b. Orwell, Vt. He fought in the War of 1812, was editor of the Plattsburgh (N.Y.) Republican until 1825, and was elected (1823) to the New York state assembly. Flagg, a relentless Jeffersonian Democrat, was a leader of the Albany Regency and helped sustain its drive for political reforms. He served in New York as secretary of state (1826-32) and twice as state comptroller (1834-39, 1842-46). He opposed any form of federal banks and advocated reform of the New York state banking system. After 1846 he helped organize the Barnburners and was (1852-59) comptroller of New York City.

or female circumcision or female genital mutilation or clitoridectomy

Surgical procedure ranging from drawing blood, to removing the clitoris alone, to infibulation or Pharaonic circumcision—removing the external genitals, joining the sides and leaving a small opening. The practice dates to ancient times; usually performed on young girls and in a ritual context, it is purported by its practitioners to guard a girl's virginity and reduce her sexual desires. Because it is usually undertaken in unhygienic conditions, cutting may lead to severe bleeding, infection, debilitating pain, and death; long-term consequences can include an inability to urinate or expel menstrual blood, pain during sexual intercourse, and prolonged childbirth. In some cultures women are reinfibulated after childbirth, while others discourage this practice.

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Branch of lapidary art involving the five basic steps in fashioning a diamond: marking, cleaving, sawing, girdling, and faceting. The most popular style is the brilliant cut, a round stone with 58 facets; a round diamond with only 18 facets is known as a single cut. Any other style is known as a fancy cut. Seealso gemstone.

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Light saddle horse trained to cut (isolate) livestock, especially cattle, from herds. Most are quarter horses, with the intelligence, speed, and ability to make quick starts, stops, and turns. A well-trained cutting horse can maneuver an animal away from a herd and into a corner with little direction from a rider or, in some cases, without a rider.

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