deci-

American  

1. a combining form meaning “tenth,” used in words denoting units of the metric system (deciliter ); on this model, extended to other systems (decibel ).

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deci- British  

prefix

1.  d.  denoting one tenth; 10 ^–1

   decimetre

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deci– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means “one tenth,” as in deciliter, one tenth of a liter.

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Usage

What does deci- mean? Deci- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “tenth.” It is most often used to denote units of the metric system.Deci- comes from the Latin decimus, meaning “tenth.” The word decimate, meaning "to destroy a great number or proportion of" comes from this same Latin root. Find out how at our entry for decimate.A similar word from Greek, déka, meaning “ten,” gives us the combining forms dec-, deca-, and deci-. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use articles for all three forms.Despite the similarity between the two forms, it’s important not to confuse deci-, which means “tenth,” with deca-, meaning “ten.” A decigram is one-tenth of a gram (0.1 g), but a decagram is ten grams (10 g).

Etymology

Origin of deci-

< French déci- < Latin decimus tenth

Example Sentences

This must be how the field operatives whose re- ports she pored over felt when they had to make lightning deci- sions.

From The Verge • Jun. 17, 2018

I wanted to help shape deci- sions that impacted people in positive ways.

From MSNBC • Sep. 9, 2014

For 1-10, 1-100 and 1-1,000 of the units, the prefixes deci-, centi- and milli- are used.

From The Style Book of The Detroit News by News, The Detroit