Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

I mean, when I read "proximate" I think about "proximity".. why does it refers exactly to the 3rd digit in a number?

share|improve this question
6  
I'm unfamiliar with using proximate that way. Can you provide a link or example usage? – Dusty Mar 17 '11 at 17:11
2  
Possibly you have misinterpreted the sentence, so could you provide the sample sentence in the edits? – n0nChun Mar 17 '11 at 17:36

closed as not a real question by tchrist, simchona♦ Aug 20 '12 at 21:48

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

I have never encountered this usage. If it's used that way at all, it's as a form of jargon.

share|improve this answer
1  
A quick hunt through online dictionaries doesn't find this usage either. – user1579 Mar 17 '11 at 17:13
right, so it's a google translator problem when translating from portuguese "centesimal" to english.. – Tom Brito Mar 21 '11 at 17:39
up vote 2 down vote

One of the meaning of proximate is "nearly accurate, approximate."
I can imagine that proximate could be understood as "accurate to the third digit," while accurate could mean "showing all the digit."

I have never found proximate to mean "to the third digit," though.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.