dešimt (Lithuanian)

Where does "dešimt" come from?

The Lithuanian word 'dešimt' traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥t, meaning 'ten.' It evolved through Proto-Balto-Slavic as *déśimt, acquiring a specific suffix to denote a collective group of ten. This ancient numeral remains remarkably preserved today, sharing clear linguistic ancestry with modern Latvian and Latgalian forms.

Full etymology tree

• dešimt (Lithuanian), 'ten'
  • inherited *déśimt (Proto-Balto-Slavic), 'ten'
    • derived *déḱm̥t (Proto-Indo-European)
    • suffix -(t)i-s (Proto-Balto-Slavic)

Ancestors

• *déśimt (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
• *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

• desmit (Latgalian)
• desmit (Latvian)

Updated July 2026

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