deca-

American  

1. a combining form meaning “ten,” used in the formation of compound words.

   decapod.

---

deca- British  

prefix

1. denoting ten: decagon . In conjunction with scientific units the symbol da is used

---

deca– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means “ten,” as in decahedron, a polygon having ten faces.

---

Usage

What does deca- mean? Deca- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “ten.” It is used occasionally in technical and scientific terms. Deca- comes from Greek déka, meaning “ten.” A related Latin-origin form is deci-, from Latin decimus, “tenth.” Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use entry for deci-. Despite the similarity between the two forms, it’s important not to confuse deca-, meaning “ten,” with deci-, which means “tenth.” A decagram is ten grams (10 g), but a decigram is one-tenth of a gram (0. 1 g). What are variants of deca-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, deca- becomes dec-, as in decathlon. A related prefix is deka-, which is reserved for the naming of metric units. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use articles for dec- and deka-.

Etymology

Origin of deca-

< Greek deka-, combining form of déka ten; cognate with Latin decem