deca-
Origin of deca-
Words nearby deca-
WORDS THAT USE DECA-
What does deca- mean?
Deca- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “ten.” It is used occasionally in technical and scientific terms.
Deca- comes from Greek déka, meaning “ten.” A related Latin-origin form is deci-, from Latin decimus, “tenth.” Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use entry for deci-.
Despite the similarity between the two forms, it’s important not to confuse deca-, meaning “ten,” with deci-, which means “tenth.” A decagram is ten grams (10 g), but a decigram is one-tenth of a gram (0.1 g).
What are variants of deca-?
When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, deca- becomes dec-, as in decathlon. A related prefix is deka-, which is reserved for the naming of metric units.
Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use articles for dec- and deka-.
Examples of deca-
An example of a term that features deca- is decagon, “a polygon having ten angles and ten sides.” Decagon comes from Medieval Latin decagōnum, which features the equivalent of the form deca-.
We know deca- means “ten,” while the -gon portion of the word, from Greek gōnía, means “angled, angular.” Decagon literally translates to “ten angles.”
What are some words that use the combining form deca-?
- decadrachm
- decapod (using the equivalent form of deca- in Latin)
- decastyle using the equivalent form of deca- in Greek)
- decastylos using the equivalent form of deca- in Latin)
- decasyllable
- decanormal
What are some other forms that deca- may be commonly confused with?
Not every word that begins with the letters deca-, such as decadence or decapitate, is necessarily using the combining form deca- to denote “ten.” Learn why decadence is related to “decay” at our entry for the word.