Decimus
/ˈdɛs.ɪ.məs/noun
A Roman praenomen and Latin adjective meaning tenth.
Did you know?Decimus comes from the same Proto-Indo-European root that gave English its whole counting system for ten, so this “name” is really a fossilized numeral.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dekm̥
“ten”
Proto-Italic
Italic
*dekem
“ten”
Latin
Latin
decimus
“tenth”
Roman period
Latin
Decimus
“a Roman personal name originally given to a tenth child or the tenth-born”
Modern English
English
Decimus
“a classical Roman name used in historical or literary contexts”