Dime
/daɪm/noun
A U.S. coin worth ten cents.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to Latin decimus, “tenth,” the same ancient number-root behind words like decimal and decimate—proof that even pocket change can carry a brutal Roman legacy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dekm̥
“ten”
Latin
Latin
decem
“ten”
Latin
Latin
decimus
“tenth”
Old French
Old French
disme
“a tenth part; tithe”
Middle English
English
dime
“a tithe or tenth part”
Modern English
English
dime
“a U.S. coin worth ten cents”