Where does “decimal” come from?

Decimal comes from Medieval Latin decimalis, from Latin decimus and the suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European déḱm̥ meaning ten.

decimal (English): A number expressed in the base-ten system, a...

Definitions

  1. A number expressed in the base-ten system, a...

Ancestry of “decimal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Medieval Latindecimalis
2LatinDecimusoriginally used for a tenth-born son
3Latindecemten; 10
4Latin-nus-an
5Proto-Italic-nosCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems
6Proto-Indo-European-nósCreates verbal adjectives from roots

Words derived from “decimal

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -nósEvery word from Latin -nusEvery word from Latin decem