decimal

government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

ten

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Collins

World English Dictionary

decimal (ˈdɛsɪməl)

—n
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

—*adj*
3.	a. relating to or using powers of ten
	b. of the base ten
4.	(prenominal) expressed as a decimal

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

'decimally

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

decimal

c.1600, from M.L. decimalis "of tithes or tenths," from L. decimus "tenth," from decem "ten" (see ten). Applied to Arabic notation before modern sense of "decimal fractions" emerged.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

decimal

(děs'ə-məl) Pronunciation Key

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.

Example sentences

They track their grade-point averages to multiple decimal places and have

longer résumés than their parents.

But it only goes to show that imperialism does still outweigh decent and

decimal democracy.

We used bottle caps to understand the decimal system.

Tom got so much into them, he even explored them in other bases besides decimal.

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circulating decimal decimal classification Dewey decimal classification finite decimal hundredth infinite decimal

Matching Quote

"It makes little sense to spend a month teaching decimal fractions to fourth-grade pupils when they can be taught in a week, and better understood and retained, by sixth-grade students. Child-centeredness does not mean lack of rigor or standards; it does mean finding the best match between curricula and children's developing interests and abilities."

-David Elkind