pre-decimal

adjective

Prior to decimalisation (specifically the decimalisation of British and Irish currency).

“Uncirculated pre-decimal coins can be worth thousands of pounds.”

OriginEnglish decimal ← Middle English pre- ← Latin prae- →
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Meanings

adjectivepre-decimal (not comparable)
  1. not comparablePrior to decimalisation (specifically the decimalisation of British and Irish currency).

    Uncirculated pre-decimal coins can be worth thousands of pounds.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinprae-
  7. Middle Englishpre-
  8. Englishpre-
  9. Englishdecimal
  10. Englishpre-decimal

From pre- + decimal.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pre-decimal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pre-decimal

MLA

“pre-decimal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pre-decimal. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pre-decimal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pre-decimal.

Source: pre-decimal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.