Definition of DECADE

decade

Plural: decades

Noun

  • A period of ten years.
  • a period of 10 years
  • the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
  • A group, set, or series of ten , particularly
  • A group, set, or series of ten
  • A period of ten years , particularly such a period beginning with a year ending in 0 and ending with a year ending in 9.
  • A group, set, or series of ten
  • A period of ten days, (history) particularly those in the ancient Egyptian, Coptic, and French Revolutionary calendars.
  • A group, set, or series of ten
  • A work in ten parts or books, particularly such divisions of Livy's History of Rome.
  • A group, set, or series of ten
  • 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.
  • A group, set, or series of ten
  • Any of the sets of ten sequential braille characters with predictable patterns.
  • A group, set, or series of ten
  • A set of ten electronic devices used to represent digits.
  • A set of resistors, capacitors, etc. connected so as to provide even increments between one and ten times a base electrical resistance.
  • The interval between any two quantities having a ratio of 10 to 1.

Examples

  • a decade of soldiers
  • I haven’t seen my cousin in over a decade!
  • It felt like a DECADE had passed during his opponent’s lengthy turn on Words With Friends.
  • The 1960s was a turbulent decade.
  • There are decades between 1.8 and 18, between 25 and 250 and between 0.03 and 0.003.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English decade, from Old French decade, from Late Latin decādem (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δεκάς (dekás), from δέκα (déka, “ten”). In reference to a span of ten years, originally a clipping of the phrase decade of years. By surface analysis, deca- + -ade. Doublet of decad.

Synonyms

10, decennary, decennium, ten, tenner, X, decenniad

Scrabble Score: 10

decade: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
decade: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
decade: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

decade: valid Words With Friends Word