SOURCE 01supportshistorical dictionary
Decimal — Word History
Supplies separate chronology for the adjective and noun.
Etymology; First Known Use- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster Editors
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Merriam-Webster
PERMANENT DISPUTE RECORD
ALL DISPUTES ↗CLAIM / COUNTERCLAIM / LIMITRECORD 64
DISPUTE
RECORD.
One scholarly question. Every attached source. The present editorial state, without pretending the last word has been written.
resolvedestablished
Did the decimal noun and adjective enter together?
Merriam-Webster reports the adjective in 1608 and the noun in 1623. These are lexicographic first-use reports, not inspected objects.
WORD UNDER REVIEWDISPUTE 64
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 supplies separate first-known-use dates for the two parts of speech.
The headword witness records the earlier adjective date and discloses its evidence limit.