SOURCE 01supportshistorical dictionary
Decimal — Word History
Traces decimal through decima and decem rather than the punctuation mark.
Etymology- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster Editors
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Merriam-Webster
PERMANENT DISPUTE RECORD
ALL DISPUTES ↗CLAIM / COUNTERCLAIM / LIMITRECORD 63
DISPUTE
RECORD.
One scholarly question. Every attached source. The present editorial state, without pretending the last word has been written.
resolvedestablished
Is decimal named after the decimal point?
No. The adjective and noun come from the Latin tenth/ten family; the visible point is part of later notation, not the word’s ancestor.
WORD UNDER REVIEWDISPUTE 63
decimal
/ˈdɛsəməl/ · adjective · noun
Based on ten or tenths; borrowed through French and Medieval Latin from the Latin family of decem, “ten.”
01
DIRECT CLAIM EVIDENCE
1 SOURCES WITH A STANCE
A citation is not a vote. Each record says whether the work supports, challenges, contradicts, or contextualizes the position—and identifies the exact locus used.
02 / EDITORIAL STATE
THE CURRENT RECORD IS RESOLVED.
- CONFIDENCE
- established
- STATUS
- resolved
- LEGACY SOURCE SUMMARY
- Merriam-Webster derives decimal through French and Medieval Latin from decima and decem.
The graph terminates in the numeral family, not punctuation.