decimal point
Appearance
English
[edit]Noun
[edit]decimal point (plural decimal points)
- (typography) A period/full stop ⟨.⟩ or middot ⟨·⟩ used to set off the decimal or fractional part of a number.
- (typography, inexact) Any decimal mark, inclusive of commas, separatrices, etc.
- (arithmetic, proscribed) A decimal place.
Usage notes
[edit]The term "decimal point" properly refers only to those signs marking the boundary between integer and decimal numbers with a point. For convenience, it is also used to speak of marks serving a similar function in other cultures. The use of "decimal point" to mean "one of the digits in the fractional part of a decimal" is, however, typically taken to be mistaken.
Synonyms
[edit]- separatrix (obsolete)
Hypernyms
[edit]Translations
[edit]Note: In some countries, especially those in continental Europe, the symbol used is a comma, and so the word used in the languages spoken in these countries is often the same as or derived from the word for comma.
the point used in English mathematics
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the decimal mark symbol, characteristic to the native tongue
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decimal place — see decimal place