Icelandic edit

Etymology edit

From auka- (extra, additional) +‎ stafur (character, letter).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

aukastafur m (genitive singular aukastafs, nominative plural aukastafir)

  1. (mathematics) a numeral appearing in the fractional part of a number written in positional notation (i.e. after the radix point), e.g. a numeral in some decimal place in a decimal number

Usage notes edit

This word refers to the numerals themselves rather than their positions, so its meaning is not quite the same as that of English decimal place or place; however, it is often used in similar contexts, such as when counting decimal places, e.g. námunda að þremur aukastöfum (to round to three decimal places).

Declension edit

See also edit

  • hækka upp (to round up, to change a number by removing decimals and incrementing the last decimal: 16.666 → 16.7)
  • jafna út (to raise or lower the value of a number by removing decimals)