Deci- Explained

Deci- (symbol d) is a decimal unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one tenth. Proposed in 1793,^[1] and adopted in 1795, the prefix comes from the Latin Latin: decimus, meaning "tenth". Since 1960, the prefix is part of the International System of Units (SI).^[2] ^[3]

A frequent use of the prefix is in the unit deciliter (dl), common in food recipes; many European homes have a deciliter measure for flour, water, etc. A common measure in engineering is the unit decibel for measuring ratios of power and root-power quantities, such as sound level and electrical amplification.

Example:

The diameter of a compact disc is about 12 centimetres or 1.2 decimetres.^[4]

Notes and References

Book: Instruction abrégée sur les mesures déduites de la grandeur de la Terre; uniformes pour toute la Rêpublique, et sur les Calculs relatifs à leur division décimale. Commission temporaire de Poids & Mesures rêpublicaines, En exécution des Décrets de la Convention Nationale. De l´imprimerie nationale exécutive du Louvre. Edition originale. Paris, France. fr. 1793. 2015-10-09.
Book: The International System of Units (Si): The Metric System. 30. DIANE Publishing. 1992. 9780941375740.
Web site: Resolution 12 of the 11th CGPM. 1960. BIPM. 2020-05-14. 2020-04-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20200408155740/https://www.bipm.org/en/CGPM/db/11/12/. dead.
Web site: Universcale: From the nanoworld to the universe — The worlds we measure using our infinite yardstick.. Nikon. 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170208212202/http://www.nikon.com/about/sp/universcale/index.htm. 2017-02-08. 2017-02-08.