*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of decad

Doublet of decade and dekad. By surface analysis, dec- + -ad.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Archaic form of decade (“period of ten years”). · Archaic form of decade (“group of ten”). · A group of ten notes from which the consonant triads may be constructed

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Doublet of decade and dekad. By surface analysis, dec- + -ad.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "decade",
        "3": "dekad"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of decade and dekad"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dec-",
        "3": "-ad"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, dec- + -ad"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "decade",
      "decade#English"
    ],
    [
      "dekad",
      "dekad#English"
    ],
    [
      "dec-",
      "dec-#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ad",
      "-ad#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Archaic form of decade (“period of ten years”).",
        "Archaic form of decade (“group of ten”).",
        "A group of ten notes from which the consonant triads may be constructed"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "d2fd99a54cad82c002aa6e47221bea08f22277ab39781252fe2ee89738f27e67",
      "rawRecordSha256": "966a98f6262eee32297be698be93ebab858f6dd9353d9cc41ac3237f8a0b6ee1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3698271
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for decad →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGVjYWQ