Dewey decimal system
1
4.9
- noun
- /ˈduːi ˈdɛsɪməl ˈsɪstəm/
- Specialized
:
sistema decimal Dewey
- In libraries, books are organized by assigning them numbers according to the Dewey decimal system.
- know the Dewey decimal system
Examples
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The building, rather than purely accommodating the future need for new technologies, was structured in a shockingly logical, book-oriented manner: following the Dewey Decimal system.
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A library with no Dewey Decimal System in place!
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Don't you know the Dewey decimal system?
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- I assume you're familiar with the Dewey Decimal system?
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I think non fiction books use the Dewey Decimal system, but fiction books just use alphabetical order of the author.
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Dewey decimal system.
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The books are still there; everything you want and need is still in the library, but you have no reliable way to find those books because the card catalog has been purged and the books have been misplaced and/or mislabeled under the Dewey Decimal System on purpose.
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Tell the new generation about the days before the early dark ages of IRC and AOL keywords, and describing using encyclopedias and the Dewey decimal system instead of Wikipedia.
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Students learn how to locate books using the Dewey decimal system in their library orientation.
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Each subject in the library is sorted using the Dewey decimal system, making it easier to find materials.
Synonyms
A way to arrange books and other library materials by subject using numbers with a decimal point
A system libraries use to arrange nonfiction books by subject with numbers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words 'decimal' and 'system' clearly indicate a numbering or classification scheme based on base-ten principles, so a learner could infer this is a particular kind of numbering system. However, 'Dewey' is a proper name and gives no clue that the scheme is specifically for organizing library books, so the precise library-specific meaning is not fully predictable from the parts.
Etymology
The noun Dewey decimal system is named after librarian Melvil Dewey, who used numbers and decimal points to give each book an address on the shelf. So books on the same 'subject' stay near each other, which is why the system helps you find and 'organize' books today.