What does centesimal mean?
"Centesimal" is an adjective meaning divided into, counted by, or relating to a hundred equal parts. It derives from the Latin centesimus, meaning "hundredth," and belongs to the same family as percent, century, and centime — all built on the Latin root centum, "hundred." The word appears chiefly in technical contexts: mathematicians and surveyors once used centesimal divisions of the circle and right angle, and homeopathic medicine uses "centesimal potencies" to describe dilutions made at a ratio of one part in a hundred. A centesimal system of measurement is therefore any scheme whose units are subdivided by hundreds, in contrast to duodecimal or sexagesimal schemes that use twelves or sixties. Formal and somewhat rare outside specialist writing, centesimal nonetheless offers a compact, precise way to express the idea of hundredths, most familiar to modern readers through percentages, which are themselves centesimal expressions.
adjectiveRelating to, based on, or divided into a hundred equal parts; reckoned by hundredths.
- Divided into, counted by, or expressed in hundredths; relating to hundredths.
- (Of systems of measurement) Based on subdivisions of one hundred, as in certain scales of angles or temperature.
"The chemist prepared the remedy in the sixth centesimal potency, diluting it one part per hundred six times over."
"The surveyor recorded the angle using the centesimal division of the circle into one hundred graded parts."
"Homeopathic pharmacies label their dilutions with a C for centesimal, indicating a one-in-a-hundred ratio at each step."
Every time you read a percentage, you're thinking centesimally — the word just hides behind its more famous cousin, 'percent'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of centesimal
Centesimal comes from the Latin centesimus, meaning "hundredth," itself formed from centum, "hundred." It entered English in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, borrowed through learned scientific vocabulary alongside other Latin-derived terms of measurement. Its cognates all share the centum root: percent (per centum, "by the hundred"), century, centurion, and the French borrowing centime.
Related word forms
How centesimal is actually used
A formal, largely technical word found mainly in mathematics, metrology, and homeopathy. It carries a precise, scientific connotation and would sound stilted in everyday speech, where speakers simply say 'in hundredths' or use percentages.
Easily confused with centesimal
Decimal refers to a base-ten numbering system generally, while centesimal specifically concerns division into one hundred equal parts.