decimal
Americanadjective
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pertaining to tenths or to the number 10.
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proceeding by tens.
a decimal system.
noun
noun
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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
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any number used in the decimal system
adjective
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relating to or using powers of ten
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of the base ten
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(prenominal) expressed as a decimal
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A representation of a real number using the base ten and decimal notation, such as 201.4, 3.89, or 0.0006.
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A decimal fraction.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“My usual rule of thumb is, move the decimal point one place to the left,” Matheson said.
From Los Angeles Times
“I thought the opposite of that was the last five minutes of math class, when the teacher’s going on and on and on about decimals,” she said.
From Literature
By 25 minutes in, Wales had a decimal point of hope.
From BBC
Readers see little of Ruth’s writing, but know her business transactions down to the last decimal point.
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
