decile

Definition

Any of the values in a series that divides the distribution of individuals in that series into ten groups of equal frequency.

Etymology

From Latin decilis, equivalent to dec- + -ile.

Example Sentences

• "Although few people scored high marks, everyone did quite well—the lowest decile was over 50%."
• "Our school is in the top decile for exam results."
• "Overall, 79 percent of respondents said they ate fast food at least once during the three weeks. Breaking it down by income deciles (groups of 10 percent of aggregate household income) did not show big differences."