diez (Spanish)

Where does "diez" come from?

The Spanish word 'diez' descends from the Latin 'decem', which represents the number ten. This root traces back even further to the Proto-Indo-European term '*déḱm̥', linking it to distant cousins like the English word 'ten' and the Greek 'déka'. Throughout its evolution from Old Spanish to the modern language, it has maintained its role as a fundamental numerical marker.

Full etymology tree

• diez (Spanish), 'ten'
  • inherited diez (Old Spanish), 'ten (10)'
    • inherited decem (Latin), 'ten; 10'
      • inherited *dekem (Proto-Italic)
        • inherited *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'ten'
          • derived *ḱm̥t- (Proto-Indo-European)
            • derived *ḱómt (Proto-Indo-European)

Ancestors

• diez (Old Spanish)
• decem (Latin)
• *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

• δέκα (Ancient Greek)
• ten (English)
• dix (French)
• zehn (German)
• dez (Portuguese)

Descendants and derived words

• diez-cuatro (Spanish)
• Diez Mandamientos (Spanish)
• diez mil (Spanish)
• Diez Palabras (Spanish)
• me cago en diez (Spanish)
• puros dieces (Spanish)
• diyes (Tagalog)
• diyes (Tagalog)

Updated July 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris