decade
UK[ˈdekeɪd]US[ˈdekeɪd]
n
A period of ten years.
Morpheme Breakdown
deca
de
deca
ten
de
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'decade' has a clear and logical numerical foundation. It entered English in the 15th century via Middle French 'décade', which itself originated from Late Latin 'decas', meaning 'a group of ten'. This Latin term is a direct borrowing from the Greek 'dekas' (stem 'dekad-'), derived from 'deka', the Greek word for 'ten'. The semantic journey is straightforward: the core meaning of 'ten' from the ancient Greek root has been consistently preserved, with the suffix forming a noun to denote a specific period or set of ten, most commonly applied to years.
Analysis
Structure: deca (ten) + de (noun suffix)
- deca: From Greek 'deka', meaning 'ten'. It functions as a numerical root.
- de: A common noun-forming suffix in English, often derived from Latin '-da' or Greek '-as', used to form nouns of result or period.
Examples
The technological landscape changed dramatically over the past decade.
She dedicated a decade of her life to researching the disease.
The economic policies of the 1980s defined that entire decade.