A statistical value that divides a distribution into 100 equal parts, showing where a measurement ranks compared to others.
From 'centi-' (one hundred) + '-ile' (suffix meaning a particular rank, from Latin). The term was developed in the late 19th century for statistical analysis.
If you're in the 95th centile for height, that means you're taller than 95% of people your age—pediatricians use growth centile charts to track if children are developing normally, and students see percentile scores (which are centiles!) on standardized tests!
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