ten
The number 10; the base of the decimal system.
Etymology
From Old English tīen, from Proto-Germanic *tehun, from PIE *déḱm̥t "ten." The PIE decimal system was base-10, matching the ten fingers used for counting. The word gave rise to the -teen suffix (thirteen = three + ten) and "hundred" (from *ḱm̥tóm, literally "a group of tens").
The Journey: *déḱm̥t → ten
*déḱm̥t
*tehun
tīen
ten
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *déḱm̥t. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | déka |
| Latin | decem |
| Welsh | deg |
| Russian | desjatĭ |
| Armenian | tasn |
| Sanskrit | dáśa |
| Old Irish | deich |
| Lithuanian | dẽšimt |
Did You Know?
Latin decem gives "decimal," "December" (originally the 10th month), and "dean" (originally a leader of ten). The word "dime" also traces back to the same root.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *déḱm̥t. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.