decimal point

English

Noun

decimal point (plural decimal points)

1. (typography) A period/full stop ⟨.⟩ or middot ⟨·⟩ used to set off the decimal or fractional part of a number.
2. (typography, inexact) Any decimal mark, inclusive of commas, separatrices, etc.
3. (arithmetic, proscribed) A decimal place.

Usage notes

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

• separatrix (obsolete)

Hypernyms

• radix point
• decimal mark

Translations

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

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小數點／小数点 (zh) (xiǎoshùdiǎn), 小数点 (zh) (xiǎoshùdiǎn)

• Czech: desetinná tečka f
• Finnish: desimaalipiste
• French: point (fr) m, point décimal m
• German: Punkt (de) m, Dezimalpunkt (de) m
• Greek: τελεία (el) f (teleía)
• Hindi: दशमलव (hi) m (daśamlav)
• Hungarian: tizedespont (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: pointe deachúlach m
• Italian: punto (it)
• Japanese: 小数点 (ja) (しょうすうてん, shōsūten)
• Korean: 소수점 (ko) (sosujeom) (小數點 (ko))
• Portuguese: ponto (pt) m
• Romanian: punct zecimal n, virgulă zecimală f
• Russian: десяти́чная то́чка f (desjatíčnaja tóčka)
• Spanish: punto decimal (es) m, coma decimal f
• Swedish: decimalpunkt (sv) c
• Tagalog: tuldok-sampuan, sampuing tuldok

the decimal mark symbol, characteristic to the native tongue

• Czech: desetinná čárka f
• Finnish: desimaalipilkku
• French: virgule (fr) f
• German: Komma (de) n, Dezimalkomma n
• Greek: υποδιαστολή (el) f (ypodiastolí)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: tizedesvessző
• Italian: virgola (it) f
• Portuguese: vírgula (pt) f
• Russian: запята́я (ru) f (zapjatája), десяти́чная запята́я f (desjatíčnaja zapjatája)
• Swedish: decimalkomma (sv)

decimal place — see decimal place