DECADE

ten, tenner, decade

(noun) the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

decade, decennary, decennium

(noun) a period of 10 years

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

decade (plural decades)

A group, set, or series of ten [from 16th c.], particularly

A period of ten years [from 17th c.], particularly such a period beginning with a year ending in 0 and ending with a year ending in 9. [from 19th c.]

Synonym: decennium (in some contexts)

A period of ten days, (history) particularly those in the ancient Egyptian, Coptic, and French Revolutionary calendars. [from 18th c.]

(literary, archaic) A work in ten parts or books, particularly such divisions of Livy's History of Rome. [from 15th c.]

(Roman Catholicism) A series of prayers counted on a rosary, typically consisting of an Our Father, followed by ten Hail Marys, and concluding with a Glory Be and sometimes the Fatima Prayer.

Any of the sets of ten sequential braille characters with predictable patterns.

(electronics) A set of ten electronic devices used to represent digits.

(electronics) A set of resistors, capacitors, etc. connected so as to provide even increments between one and ten times a base electrical resistance.

(physics, engineering) The interval between any two quantities having a ratio of 10 to 1.

Usage notes

Although a decade may refer to any group of ten years, it often particularly refers to the informal ten-year periods of the calendar whose last digits run from 0 to 9. Some style guides may prefer that decade refers exclusively to such calendar periods while decennium, decennary refers to ten-year periods in other contexts.

It should be noted that the method of computing a decade is distinguished from the proper computation of centuries and millennia, which run from 1 to 0. The 1st century began with the year 1 and ended with the year 100, but "the Nineties" are the years whose name includes the word ninety, from '90 to '99 with all those years with a 9 in the tens place digit.

Coordinate terms

• monad · duad, dyad · triad · tetrad · pentad · hexad · heptad · octad · ennead, nonad · decad, decade · hendecad · dodecad, duodecade

Anagrams

• deaced

Source: Wiktionary

Dec"ade, n. Etym: [F. décade, L. decas, -adis, fr. Gr. Ten.]

Definition: A group or division of ten; esp., a period of ten years; a decennium; as, a decade of years or days; a decade of soldiers; the second decade of Livy. [Written also decad.] During this notable decade of years. Gladstone.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition