ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tenth

num. · n. · v.
US //ˈtɛnθ// UK //tˈɛnθ// tenth
  1. 1 position in a sequence (num.)
    A2 Elementary

    the person or thing that comes after the ninth.

    the ordinal number matching the number ten in a series.

    Example

    This is the tenth time I have tried to call them today.

    Example

    The runner collapsed shortly after crossing the finish line in tenth place, exhausted by the final sprint.

  2. 2 a fraction (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Math

    one of ten equal parts of something.

    one of ten equal parts into which a whole is or may be divided.

    Example

    A millimeter is one tenth of a centimeter.

    Example

    The survey revealed that only one tenth of the local population was aware of the proposed changes to the zoning laws.

  3. 3 musical interval (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Music

    a musical note that is ten steps away from another note.

    the interval between a given tone and the tenth degree of the staff above it, equivalent to an octave plus a third.

    Example

    The pianist had large hands and could easily reach a tenth.

    Example

    The composer frequently employed tenths in the left-hand accompaniment to create a rich, resonant harmonic foundation.

  4. 4 historical tax (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic British English Law

    a tax from a long time ago where people gave ten percent of what they owned to the king.

    a historical tax or subsidy consisting of one tenth of a subject's movable goods or personal property.

    Example

    In the past, the king demanded a tenth of all property to pay for the war.

    Example

    The crown relied on the collection of tenths and fifteenths to finance military expeditions during the fourteenth century.
  5. 5 to divide by ten (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    to divide something into ten parts.

    to divide a whole into ten equal portions or to reduce by a factor of ten.

    Example

    The scientist had to tenth the solution to get the right concentration.

    Example

    The data was tenthed to simplify the visual representation of the massive dataset for the final report.
    • decimalize
Origin

From Middle English tenth, tenthe. Old English had tēoþa (origin of Modern English tithe), but the force of analogy to the cardinal number "ten" caused Middle English speakers to recreate the regular ordinal and re-insert the nasal consonant. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tehundô. Equivalent to ten (numeral) + -th (suffix forming ordinals).

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

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026