decimal

[ des-uh-muhl, des-muhl ]

/ ˈdɛs ə məl, ˈdɛs məl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: decimal / decimals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

pertaining to tenths or to the number 10.

proceeding by tens: a decimal system.

noun

decimal fraction.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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; see ten, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM decimal

dec·i·mal·ly, adverb

Words nearby decimal

decigram, decile, deciliter, decilitre, decillion, decimal, decimal classification, decimal currency, decimal fraction, decimalize, decimal notation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decimal in a sentence

It’s possible that the data shown above represents something else, but the fact that it includes decimals indicates that this is something other than actual data.
A conspiracy website will pay you $10,000 to bring it back to reality|Philip Bump|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
Some kitchen scales will display weight with fractions, some will use decimals, and some do both.
Best kitchen scales: This handy kitchen essential is a must-have for baking and beyond|Irena Collaku|July 24, 2021|Popular-Science
This process, called hadronic vacuum polarization, contributes a small correction to the muon’s gyromagnetic ratio starting in the seventh decimal place.
‘Last Hope’ Experiment Finds Evidence for Unknown Particles|Natalie Wolchover|April 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine
If you were trying to encode Pi with a 64-bit computer, you could stretch it out to 4 times as many decimal places as a 32-bit computer.
New IBM Research Means We Could Soon Train Neural Networks on a Smartphone|Edd Gent|December 28, 2020|Singularity Hub

The trick here is to linearly scale our list of numbers, so 0 becomes -8 and 1 becomes 7, and the decimals map to the integers in the middle.
Tiny four-bit computers are now all you need to train AI|Karen Hao|December 11, 2020|MIT Technology Review
As Marcus says, the devil is often in the details in cases like this, “some decimal point in the wrong place.”
James Murdoch: Can He Survive Broadcast Regulator’s Criticism?|Peter Jukes|September 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The first decimal trituration was given in doses of two grains gradually increased to ten grains every two hours.
The Treatment of Hay Fever|George Frederick Laidlaw
All saw timber is scaled by the Scribner Decimal C log rule.
Our National Forests|Richard H. Douai Boerker
These are made in different patterns, having either decimal divisions or the vulgar fractions.
Mechanical Drawing Self-Taught|Joshua Rose
The dropping of terminal decimals makes a small decimal difference in the result in the different formulas.
Aviation Engines|Victor Wilfred Pag
For convenience the metrical table is given, showing lengths in feet and inches, in which only three decimal points are used.
Practical Mechanics for Boys|J. S. Zerbe

British Dictionary definitions for decimal

decimal

/ (ˈdɛsɪməl) /

noun

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

any number used in the decimal system

adjective

relating to or using powers of ten
of the base ten

(prenominal) expressed as a decimal

Derived forms of decimal

decimally, adverb

Word Origin for decimal

C17: from Medieval Latin decimālis of tithes, from Latin decima a tenth, from decem ten

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for decimal

decimal

[ dĕs′ə-məl ]

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

A decimal fraction.

decimal

Origin of decimal

OTHER WORDS FROM decimal

Words nearby decimal

Words related to decimal

How to use decimal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decimal

Derived forms of decimal

Word Origin for decimal

Scientific definitions for decimal