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

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-.