What do you call it when you have a number multiplied by 10?

I have the following sentence:

This number is the initial value multiplied by 10.

Context: Tabletop roleplaying games. I'm deriving a number from a statistic inherent to a character, with said number being ten times the statistic in question.

While it covers what I want to say, I'm not entirely keen on the "multiplied by 10" part, as it seems rather unwieldy. So I'm looking for a word that covers what I am trying to say here. I've considered the following:

This number is the tenfold the initial value.

But this seems a bit archaic and a bit silly. Another reason I prefer not to use tenfold: I'm not entirely sure on how to use it correctly. Is there another way to say this?

Thomas Jacobs

Posted 2015-09-29T12:25:07.347

Reputation: 203

5But tenfold is usually used adverbially or adjectivally, not as a noun ("The tenfold"). The number will increase tenfold. It is a tenfold increase. – Tᴚoɯɐuo – 2015-09-29T12:31:27.800

2Another reason I prefer not to use tenfold: I'm not entirely sure on how to use it correctly. – Thomas Jacobs – 2015-09-29T12:32:12.023

1If it's in a game, "with an extra zero" may work: This number is [ the initial value ] with an extra zero. – Damkerng T. – 2015-09-29T13:31:24.187

Answers

The <new value> is ten times the <old value>.

For example,

The character's IQ is ten times the character's INT rating.

Jasper

Posted 2015-09-29T12:25:07.347

Reputation: 23 316

This is the most natural answer, although I would say your example is unnecessarily obscure. – Théophile – 2015-09-29T21:06:00.013

7@Théophile -- The example is based on the context the original poster provided in the comments to the original post: character statistics for table-top role-playing games. – Jasper – 2015-09-29T23:10:45.260

Oh, I see. I hadn't noticed those comments. In that case, your example is perfect. :) – Théophile – 2015-09-30T02:30:30.830

4I've moved the relevant comment into the question. Interestingly the OP used the phrase, *said number being ten times the statistic in question*, thus answering their own question! – chasly - reinstate Monica – 2015-09-30T08:48:17.357

It's a bit mathematical so I don't know if would work in your case, but you could say it's an "order of magnitude" higher.

Orders of magnitude are used to make approximate comparisons. If numbers differ by 1 order of magnitude, x is about ten times different in quantity than y. If values differ by 2 orders of magnitude, they differ by a factor of about 100. Two numbers of the same order of magnitude have roughly the same scale: the larger value is less than ten times the smaller value.

So, for your example, you could say:

This number is an order of magnitude greater than the initial value.

Catija

Posted 2015-09-29T12:25:07.347

Reputation: 25 211

13It's not the same thing: an order of magnitude greater does not mean multiplied by ten. For instance 17 is an order of magnitude greater than 1. – Massimo Ortolano – 2015-09-29T19:51:26.543

1I agree with @MassimoOrtolano, and this agrees with the quote provided by Catija. However, we could improve the usage here by inserting the word "exactly", i.e. 10 is exactly one order of magnitude higher than 1. 17, however, is not exactly one order of magnitude higher than 1. – AndyT – 2015-09-30T09:35:52.143

2@AndyT No. 'Exactly' and 'an order of' are mutually inconsistent. 'Order of' is intended to convey imprecision. – Marquis of Lorne – 2015-09-30T23:54:11.133

1@Catija Your own source says 'approximate'. So your answer is not correct. – Marquis of Lorne – 2015-09-30T23:58:11.677

@EJP - I believe you are right. Having googled "exactly one order of magnitude" there aren't many hits, and my comment above is actually 2nd on the list....!

– AndyT – 2015-10-01T08:09:58.240

I suspect what you're looking for is...

decuple [literally, to times by ten]

...following the same formulation as double, triple, quadruple, quintuple etc.

So you would say

"this number is the initial value decupled

You should note that while gramatically correct, this expression would not be found in normal use of British English. The normal use would be

"timesed by ten", "times by ten" (or simply) "times ten"

Richard

Posted 2015-09-29T12:25:07.347

Reputation: 563

1What a cool word, +1! – Lucky – 2015-09-30T14:57:00.547

is "timesed" standard in BE? In AE it sounds like something a 1st grader would say. – Kevin – 2015-09-30T17:25:54.403

@Kevin - More common in spoken English than written, certainly, but not something you would associate with a young speaker, probably more the opposite. A young speaker would say "times ten". – Richard – 2015-09-30T17:36:33.837

In AE, "Three times ten" is the verbal form of the mathematical expression "3 x 10". If one is expressing the operation in terms of an action verb, it would be "Three multiplied by ten." "Times" is the operator; "multiply" is the action. – hBy2Py – 2015-09-30T19:32:30.380

1It is a good word, but it's important to note that this isn't a common one. I'd be willing to bet that most native speakers would have no idea, and that a good fraction of those who would have a guess would only have that when the word appears in sequence with septuple, octuple, nonuple. – mattdm – 2015-10-01T02:18:23.890

So uncommon that on first sight I would mispronounce it as de-cuple, presumably it shoud be dec-youple. Strongly urge you not to use it in conversation unless you're being wilfully obscure. – djna – 2018-03-21T08:55:22.713

There is a somewhat obsolete phrase

ten-fold

used as

Their harvest increased ten-fold

I would just use

ten times bigger

increased by a factor of ten

djna

Posted 2015-09-29T12:25:07.347

Reputation: 6 694

The author states in their question that "tenfold" "seems a bit archaic and a bit silly." I'm not sure why you're mentioning it in your answer. – ColleenV – 2018-03-21T11:10:49.930

-2

Deca is the word you are looking for :) from Greek language

Ioannis Vrontinos

Posted 2015-09-29T12:25:07.347

Reputation: 1

Deca is a root that can, in certain cases, be adapted for the purpose with an appropriate coinage. But there is no way you can use it as a standalone word in English. – Nathan Tuggy – 2018-03-21T08:31:29.250