δέκα (Ancient Greek)

Where does "δέκα" come from?

The Ancient Greek word 'δέκα' evolved from the Proto-Hellenic form '*dékə', which traces back further to the Proto-Indo-European root '*déḱm̥'. This ancient root for the number ten is remarkably stable, serving as the common ancestor for cognates across many languages, including the Latin 'decem' and the English 'ten'.

Full etymology tree

• δέκα (déka) (Ancient Greek), 'ten'
  • inherited *dékə (Proto-Hellenic), 'ten'
    • inherited *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'ten'
      • influence *ḱm̥t- (Proto-Indo-European)
        • derived *ḱómt (Proto-Indo-European)

Ancestors

• *dékə (Proto-Hellenic)
• *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

• ten (English)
• decem (Latin)
• տասն (Old Armenian)
• tien (Old English)
• दश (Sanskrit)

Descendants and derived words

• δέκα (Greek)
• δυοκαίδεκα (Ancient Greek)
• deca- (English)

Updated July 2026

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