decemvir

 [dih-sem-ver]  

de·cem·vir

   [dih-sem-ver]
noun, plural de·cem·virs, de·cem·vi·ri  [-vuh-rahy] .
1.
a member of a permanent board or a special commission of ten members in ancient Rome, especially the commission that drew up Rome's first code of law.
2.
a member of any council or ruling body of ten.
Origin:
1570–80; < Latin, orig. plural decemvirī, equivalent to decem ten + virī men

Related forms
de·cem·vi·ral, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Decemvir is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
decemvir (dɪˈsɛmvə)
 
—n , pl -virs, -viri
1.  (in ancient Rome) a member of a board of ten magistrates, esp either of the two commissions established in 451 and 450 bc to revise the laws
2.  a member of any governing body composed of ten men
 
[C17: from Latin, from decem ten + virī men]
 
de'cemviral
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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