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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?

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  • 5
    But tenfold is usually used adverbially or adjectivally, not as a noun ("The tenfold"). The number will increase tenfold. It is a tenfold increase.
    – TimR
    Sep 29, 2015 at 12:31
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    Another reason I prefer not to use tenfold: I'm not entirely sure on how to use it correctly.
    – Thomas Jacobs
    Sep 29, 2015 at 12:32
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    If it's in a game, "with an extra zero" may work: This number is [ the initial value ] with an extra zero.
    – Damkerng T.
    Sep 29, 2015 at 13:31

5 Answers 5

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

For example,

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

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  • This is the most natural answer, although I would say your example is unnecessarily obscure.
    – Théophile
    Sep 29, 2015 at 21:06
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    @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
    Sep 29, 2015 at 23:10
  • Oh, I see. I hadn't noticed those comments. In that case, your example is perfect. :)
    – Théophile
    Sep 30, 2015 at 2:30
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    I'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 - supports Monica
    Sep 30, 2015 at 8:48
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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.

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  • 13
    It'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
    Sep 29, 2015 at 19:51
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    I 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
    Sep 30, 2015 at 9:35
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    @AndyT No. 'Exactly' and 'an order of' are mutually inconsistent. 'Order of' is intended to convey imprecision.
    – user207421
    Sep 30, 2015 at 23:54
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    @Catija Your own source says 'approximate'. So your answer is not correct.
    – user207421
    Sep 30, 2015 at 23:58
  • @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
    Oct 1, 2015 at 8:09
4

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"

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  • 1
    What a cool word, +1!
    – Lucky
    Sep 30, 2015 at 14:57
  • is "timesed" standard in BE? In AE it sounds like something a 1st grader would say.
    – Kevin
    Sep 30, 2015 at 17:25
  • @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
    Sep 30, 2015 at 17:36
  • 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
    Sep 30, 2015 at 19:32
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    It 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
    Oct 1, 2015 at 2:18
0

There is a somewhat obsolete phrase

ten-fold

used as

Their harvest increased ten-fold

I would just use

ten times bigger

or

increased by a factor of ten

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  • 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
    Mar 21, 2018 at 11:10
-3

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

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  • 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
    Mar 21, 2018 at 8:31

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