decade

[dek-eyd, duh-keyd]

noun

1. a period of ten years.

   the three decades from 1776 to 1806.

2. a period of ten years beginning with a year whose last digit is zero.

   the decade of the 1980s.

3. a group, set, or series of ten.

decade

/ dɪˈkeɪd, ˈdɛkeɪd /

noun

1. a period of ten consecutive years

2. a group or series of ten

Other Word Forms

• half-decade noun
• decadal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decade¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin decad-, stem of decas, from Greek dekás “group of ten”; equivalent to deca- + -ade ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of decade¹

C15: from Old French, from Late Latin decad-, decas, from Greek dekas, from deka ten

Example Sentences

Some other destructive fires in recent decades have also been restarts of older fires.

From Los Angeles Times

Somalia officially joined the eight-nation regional trading bloc last year with the intention of boosting economic growth following three decades of war.

From BBC

For decades Norris publicly denied being part of the attack, claiming he was innocent during his trial, but the hearing was told on Tuesday that he had admitted his involvement since being in prison.

From BBC

For decades, astronomers have been puzzled about why there are so many asteroids tumbling chaotically rather than spinning around a single rotational axis, and why smaller asteroids are more likely to be tumbling slowly.

From Science Daily

The campaign was designed in the vein of South African boycotts decades ago, which proved to be instrumental in ending apartheid, that country’s racial segregation.

From Los Angeles Times