Meanings
plural decrements
- countableA small quantity removed or lost; one of a series of regular subtractions.
- uncountableThe subtraction itself; decrease.
He concluded that in normal group situations, production increased constantly, and reports of "boredness" and tiredness showed constant decrement.
1940, Contributions to Education, volume 788, page 30
present singular third person decrements · participle present decrementing · participle past decremented · past decremented
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo decrease a value by a basic quantity unit.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latinde-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱer-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱreh₁-sḱéti
- Latincrēscō
- Latindecresco
- Latindecrementum
- Englishdecrement
Borrowed from Latin decrementum.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Irish maolú
- maolúsubtraction, decrease
Cite this entry
decrement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrement
“decrement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrement. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decrement,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrement.
Source: decrement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.