deset (Serbo-Croatian)
Where does "deset" come from?
The Serbo-Croatian word 'deset' traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥t, which simply meant 'ten.' Throughout history, the term evolved through Proto-Balto-Slavic and Proto-Slavic before stabilizing into its modern form. It remains a direct linguistic cousin to ancient words for ten across many European languages.
Full etymology tree
- deset (Serbo-Croatian), 'ten (10)'
- inherited *desętь (Proto-Slavic), 'ten'
- inherited *déśimtis (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- contraction *déśimt (Proto-Balto-Slavic), 'ten'
- inherited *déḱm̥t (Proto-Indo-European)
- contraction *déśimt (Proto-Balto-Slavic), 'ten'
- inherited *déśimtis (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- inherited *desętь (Proto-Slavic), 'ten'
Ancestors
- *desętь (Proto-Slavic)
- *déśimt (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris