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decades - 2 dictionary results

dec⋅ade

  [dek-eyd; Brit. also duh-keyd]
Use decades in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME < MF < LL decad- (s. of decas) < Gk dekad- (s. of dekás) group of ten, equiv. to dék(a) ten + -ad- -ade 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To decades
dec·ade   (děk'ād', dě-kād')   
n.  
  1. A period of ten years.
  2. A group or series of ten.

[Middle English, a group of ten, from Old French, from Late Latin decas, decad-, from Greek dekas, from deka, ten; see dek in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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