decimal

American  

[des-uh-muhl, des-muhl] / ˈdɛs ə məl, ˈdɛs məl /

adjective

1. pertaining to tenths or to the number 10.

2. proceeding by tens.

   a decimal system.

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noun

1. decimal fraction.

decimal British  

/ ˈdɛsɪməl /

noun

1. Also called: decimal fraction.  a fraction that has a denominator of a power of ten, the power depending on or deciding the decimal place. It is indicated by a decimal point to the left of the numerator, the denominator being omitted. Zeros are inserted between the point and the numerator, if necessary, to obtain the correct decimal place

2. any number used in the decimal system

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adjective

1. 1. relating to or using powers of ten

   2. of the base ten

2. (prenominal) expressed as a decimal

decimal Scientific  

/ dĕs′ə-məl /

1. A representation of a real number using the base ten and decimal notation, such as 201.4, 3.89, or 0.0006.

2. A decimal fraction.

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Other Word Forms

• decimally adverb

Etymology

Origin of decimal

First recorded in 1600–10; from Medieval Latin decimālis “of tenths,” equivalent to Latin decim(a) “tenth” (derivative of decem “ten” ) + -ālis adjective suffix; ten, -al ¹

Example Sentences

In recent decades, advances in computing have pushed this familiar constant far beyond the classroom, with powerful supercomputers now calculating pi to trillions of decimal places.

From Science Daily

In July 2024, Nature issued a correction noting that rows of data were “wrongly printed as a decimal, rather than a percentage point.”

From The Wall Street Journal

I shared my love of x and y variables, and of integers, decimal points, and fractions.

From Literature

He was also chief secretary to the Treasury as the UK prepared to move to decimal currency.

From BBC

Only resounding wins over their nearest rivals now return a few more decimals.

From BBC

Related Words

• figure
• statistic
• sum
• total