Standard Lemma guide

decimal

adj · noun · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdɛs.ɪ.məɫ/
  • US: /ˈdɛs.ɪ.məl/
  • US: /ˈdɛs.ə.məl/
  • US: /ˈdɛs.məl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D EH1 S AH0 M AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Concerning numbers expressed in decimal or mathematical calculations performed using decimal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: arithmetic, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A number expressed in the base-ten system, (particularly) a fractional numeral written in this system.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • What is 7⁄23 as a decimal?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The decimal system itself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A decimal place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, informal, uncountable

Examples

  • Pi has a value of 3.142, to three decimals.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A decimal point.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, informal, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Alternative spelling of dismil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To represent with numbers after a decimal point.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

numbered or proceeding by tens; based on ten

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the decimal system

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: denary

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a number in the decimal system

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: number

10

noun

Meaning 10

a proper fraction whose denominator is a power of 10

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decimal fraction

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: proper fraction

Narrower terms: circulating decimal, recurring decimal, repeating decimal

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin, Medieval Latin decimalis, from Latin decimus, from decem (“ten”) + adjective suffix -alis.

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَشْرِيّ (ʕašriyy) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Armenian: տասական (tasakan) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Belarusian: дзесятко́вы (dzjesjatkóvy) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Bulgarian: десети́чен (desetíčen) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Catalan: decimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Czech: desítkový — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Dutch: decimaal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Dutch: decimale — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Dutch: tientallig — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Dutch: tientallige — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Esperanto: dekuma — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Esperanto: decimala — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Finnish: desimaalinen — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • French: décimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Friulian: decimâl — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Galician: decimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • German: dezimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Greek: δεκαδικός (dekadikós) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Hindi: दशाधारी (daśādhārī) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Ido: decimala — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Irish: deachúlach — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Irish: deachúil — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Italian: decimale — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Malay: perpuluhan — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Malay: desimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Occitan: décimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Polish: dziesiętny — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Polish: dziesiątkowy — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Portuguese: decimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Romanian: zecimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Russian: десяти́чный (desjatíčnyj) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Scottish Gaelic: deicheach — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Spanish: decimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Swahili: -a miongo — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Swedish: decimal — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Tagalog: sampuin — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Ukrainian: десятко́вий (desjatkóvyj) — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Welsh: degol — concerning numbers expressed in decimal or calculations using decimal
  • Bulgarian: десети́чна систе́ма (desetíčna sistéma) — number system
  • Catalan: decimal — number system
  • Chinese Mandarin: 十進制 /十进制 (shíjìnzhì) — number system
  • Czech: desítková soustava — number system
  • Czech: dekadická soustava — number system
  • Danish: decimal — number system
  • Dutch: decimaalstelsel — number system
  • Dutch: tientallig talstelsel — number system
  • Esperanto: dekuma sistemo — number system
  • Finnish: kymmenjärjestelmä — number system
  • French: décimal — number system
  • French: système décimal — number system
  • Georgian: ათობითი სისტემა (atobiti sisṭema) — number system
  • German: Dezimalsystem — number system
  • German: Zehnersystem — number system
  • Greek: δεκαδικό (dekadikó) — number system
  • Hindi: दशाधार (daśādhār) — number system
  • Indonesian: desimal — number system
  • Indonesian: perpuluhan — number system
  • Italian: decimale — number system
  • Japanese: 十進数 (jisshinsū) — number system
  • Japanese: 十進法 (jisshinpō) — number system
  • Korean: 십진법 (sipjinbeop) — number system
  • Malay: perpuluhan — number system
  • Malay: desimal — number system
  • Malayalam: ദശാംശ സമ്പ്രദായം (daśāṁśa sampradāyaṁ) — number system
  • Norwegian: desimal — number system
  • Occitan: décimal — number system
  • Persian: دهدهی (dahdahi) — number system
  • Polish: system dziesiętny — number system
  • Polish: system dziesiątkowy — number system
  • Portuguese: decimal — number system
  • Romanian: sistem zecimal — number system
  • Russian: десяти́чная систе́ма (desjatíčnaja sistéma) — number system
  • Swedish: decimalsystem — number system
  • Tagalog: sampuan — number system
  • Turkish: ondalık sistem — number system
  • Welsh: nodiant degol — number system
Real reading context

decimal in complete knowledge articles