What does "decimal" mean?
Decimal: Of or pertaining to decimals; numbered or proceeding by tens; having a tenfold increase or decrease, each unit being ten times the unit next smaller; as, decimal notation; a decimal coinage. Decimal arithmetic, the common arithmetic, in which numeration proceeds by tens. -- Decimal fraction, a fraction in which the denominator is some power of 10, as -- Decimal point, a dot or full stop at the left of a decimal fraction. The figures at the left of the point represent units or whole numbers, as 1.05.
Additional senses
- 2.A number expressed in the scale of tens; specifically, and almost exclusively, used as synonymous with a decimal fraction. Circulating, or Circulatory, decimal, a decimal fraction in which the same figure, or set of figures, is constantly repeated; as, 0.354354354; -- called also recurring decimal, repeating decimal, and repetend.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00