Etymology
Advertisement

decade (n.)

mid-15c., "ten parts" (of anything; originally in reference to the divisions of Livy's history), from Old French décade (14c.), from Late Latin decadem (nominative decas), from Greek dekas (genitive dekados) "group of ten," from deka "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten"). Meaning "period of ten consecutive years" is 1590s in English. Related: Decadal; decadary.

Entries linking to decade

*dekm- 

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "ten."

It forms all or part of: cent; centenarian; centenary; centi-; centime; centurion; century; centennial; cinquecento; dean; deca-; decade; decagon; Decalogue; Decameron; decapod; decathlon; December; decennial; deci-; decile; decimal; decimate; decimation; decuple; decussate; denarius; denier (n.) "French coin;" dicker; dime; dinar; doyen; dozen; duodecimal; duodecimo; eighteen; fifteen; fourteen; hecatomb; hendeca-; hundred; icosahedron; nineteen; nonagenarian; octogenarian; Pentecost; percent; quattrocento; Septuagint; sexagenarian; seventeen; sixteen; ten; tenth; thirteen; thousand; tithe.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit dasa, Avestan dasa, Armenian tasn, Greek deka, Latin decem (source of Spanish diez, French dix), Old Church Slavonic deseti, Lithuanian dešimt, Old Irish deich, Breton dek, Welsh deg, Albanian djetu, Old English ten, Old High German zehan, Gothic taihun "ten."

updated on July 05, 2018

Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of decade from WordNet

decade (n.)
a period of 10 years;
Synonyms: decennary / decennium
decade (n.)
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system;
Synonyms: ten / " / x / tenner
From wordnet.princeton.edu, not affiliated with etymonline.

Dictionary entries near decade

debunk

debut

debutant

debutante

deca-

decade

decadence

decadent

decaffeinate

decagon

decahedron

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper