decade[dek′ād′; also, and for 3 usually, dek′əd, -id; Brit also di kād′, də-]
- The definition of a decade is a period of 10 years.
An example of decade is 1990 to 2000.
- a group of ten
- a period of ten years; esp., in the Gregorian calendar
- officially a ten-year period beginning with the year 1, as 1921-1930, 1931-1940, etc.
- in common usage, a ten-year period beginning with a year 0, as 1920-1929, 1930-1939, etc.
- a division of the rosary consisting of one large bead and ten small beads
Origin of decadeLate Middle English ; from Old French ; from Late Latin decas (gen. decadis) ; from Classical Greek dekas ; from deka, ten
- A period of ten years.
- A group or series of ten.
Origin of decadeMiddle English, a group of ten, from Old French, from Late Latin decas, decad-, from Greek dekas, from deka, ten; see dek&mlowring; in Indo-European roots.
- A series or group of ten things. [from 16th c.]
- a decade of soldiers
- A period of ten years. [from 17th c.]
- (French history) In the French Revolutionary calendar, a group of ten days. [from 18th c.]
- (Roman Catholicism) A series of ten Hail Marys in the rosary.
- (physics, engineering) The interval between any two quantities having the ratio 10 to 1.
- There are decades between 1.8 and 18, between 25 and 250 and between 0.03 and 0.003.
It is sometimes but very rarely claimed that decades run from xx01-xx10 instead of the usual xx00-xx09. Be aware lest confusion arise from this.
From Middle English, from Middle French decade, from Late Latin decas (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δέκας (dékas), from δέκα (déka, “ten”).