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Dewey Decimal System

noun
  1. a frequently used system of library book classification and arrangement with ten main subject classesAlso called: decimal classification Abbreviation: DDS

Word Origin for Dewey Decimal System

C19: named after Melvil Dewey (1851–1931), US educator who invented the system
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
Word Origin and History for dewey decimal system

Dewey Decimal system

proposed 1876 by Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) while acting librarian of Amherst College. He also crusaded for simplified spelling and the metric system.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dewey decimal system in Culture

Dewey decimal system

A system used in libraries for the classification of books and other publications. It uses the numbers 000 to 999 to cover the general fields of knowledge and subdivides each field by the use of decimals and letters. Named after its inventor, Melvil Dewey.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.