dec.

¹

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) pour off.

dec.

²

abbreviation

1. deceased.

2. decimeter.

3. declension.

4. decrease.

5. Music.,  decrescendo.

dec-

³

1. variant of deca- before a vowel.

   decathlon.

Dec.

⁴

abbreviation

1. December.

dec.

¹

abbreviation

1. deceased

2. music decrescendo

Dec

²

abbreviation

1. December

Word History and Origins

Origin of dec.¹

From the Latin word dēcantā

Example Sentences

Micron is set to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Dec. 17.

Read more on Barron's

Under its ‘Fare Review Exercise 2025,’ Singapore’s Public Transport Council announced an overall fare adjustment of 5.0% effective Dec. 27, the analyst notes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Diversified Energy DEC -0.57%decrease; red down pointing triangle , one of America’s largest owners of natural-gas wells, said it would plow $70 million into the fund over the next 20 years in the hope that those holdings grow to as much as $650 million through compounding interest and returns.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Future episodes of “South Park” will air every two weeks through Dec. 10.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

GAF Energy will relocate its headquarters to Georgetown, Texas, on Dec. 13, the company announced in a notification document filed with state officials.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does dec- mean?

Dec- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “ten.” It appears in a small range of terms.Dec- comes from the Greek déka, meaning “ten.” The word December is related to this root via the Latin equivalent, decem. In fact, what is now the twelfth month of the year was once the tenth month of the early Roman calendar. Learn more at our entry for December.What are variants of dec-?Dec- is a variant of deca-, which loses its -a- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. A similar prefix is deka-, which is reserved for the naming of metric units, and a related Latin-origin form is deci-, from Latin decimus, “tenth.”Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use articles for deca-, deci-, and deka-.