ENGLISH
REFERENCE

decade

n.
US //ˈdɛkeɪd// UK //dˈɛkeɪd// decade
  1. 1 ten years (n.)
    B1 Intermediate General-service

    a period of ten years.

    a period of ten consecutive years, often used to categorise historical eras.

    Example

    The city has changed a lot over the last decade.

    Example

    The economic reforms introduced in the previous decade have finally begun to yield measurable improvements in the national standard of living.

  2. 2 a group of ten (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary Archaic

    a group or set of ten things.

    a set, series, or group of ten items.

    Example

    The poet divided the long work into several decades of verses.

    Example

    The manuscript was organised into decades, with each section containing ten distinct chapters on the history of the region.
    • tensome
  3. 3 ratio of ten to one (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Academic Science

    the difference between two numbers where one is ten times larger than the other.

    the interval between two quantities having a ratio of ten to one, frequently used on logarithmic scales.

    Example

    The frequency range of the device covers more than one decade.

    Example

    The amplifier maintains a flat response over three decades of frequency, ensuring high fidelity across the entire audible spectrum.
    • order of magnitude
  4. 4 electronics component (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Electronics

    a part in a machine that lets you choose values in steps of ten.

    a set of electrical components, such as resistors, arranged to provide increments in powers of ten.

    Example

    He adjusted the decade box to change the resistance in the circuit.

    Example

    The laboratory used a precision decade capacitor to calibrate the sensors before the start of the high-voltage experiment.

Origin

From Middle English decade, from Old French decade, from Late Latin decādem (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δεκάς (dekás), from δέκα (déka, “ten”). In reference to a span of ten years, originally a clipping of the phrase decade of years. By surface analysis, dec- + -ade. Doublet of decad and dekad.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 19, 2026