decade
[dek-eyd; British also duh-keyd]
- a period of ten years: the three decades from 1776 to 1806.
- a period of ten years beginning with a year whose last digit is zero: the decade of the 1980s.
- a group, set, or series of ten.
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Origin of decade
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for half-decade
Contemporary Examples
There have been attempts to excavate the remains, and many have been removed over the past half-decade.
Historical Examples
Because of his constant globe-trotting, Addington's slang was often a half-decade behind the times.
Angel IslandInez Haynes Gillmore
decade
- a period of ten consecutive years
- a group or series of ten
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Word Origin
C15: from Old French, from Late Latin decad-, decas, from Greek dekas, from deka ten
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for half-decade
decade
n.
mid-15c., "ten parts" (of anything; originally in reference to the books of Livy), from Middle French décade (14c.), from Late Latin decadem (nominative decas), from Greek dekas (genitive dekados) "group of ten," from deka "ten" (see ten). Meaning "period of ten years" is 1590s in English.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper