ten
/tɛn/ numeral, noun
Forms tens
- numeral The number occurring after nine and before eleven, represented in Arabic numerals (base ten) as 10 and in Roman numerals as X.
- noun A set or group with ten elements. “We divided the chocolates into tens to hand out to Hallowe'en visitors.”
- noun (in the plural) An inexact quantity, typically understood to be between 20 and 100. “Our houses are tens of meters apart, so we don't have to worry about noise from our neighbours.”
- noun (countable, card games) A card in a given suit with a value of ten.
- noun (countable) A denomination of currency, such as a banknote, with a value of ten units. “Can you give me two tens for this twenty?”
- noun (countable, US, slang) A perfect specimen, (particularly) a physically attractive person.
- noun (countable, US, slang) A high level of intensity.
- noun (countable, rowing) The act of rowing ten strokes flat out.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English ten, tene, from Old English tīen, from Proto-West Germanic *tehun, from Proto-Germanic *tehun, from Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥. Cognate with Scots ten, tene (“ten”), West Frisian tsien (“ten”), Saterland Frisian tjoon (“ten”), North Frisian tiin (“ten”). See also teen.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective One more than nine; twice five.
- noun The number greater by one than nine; the sum of five and five; ten units of objects.
- noun A symbol representing ten units, as 10, x, or X.
Etymology [AS. ten, tién, t, tene; akin to OFries. tian, OS. tehan, D. tien, G. zehn, OHG. zehan, Icel. tiu, Sw. tio, Dan. ti, Goth. taíhun, Lith. deszimt, Russ. desiate, W. deg, Ir. & Gael. deich, L. decem, Gr. daçan. *308. Cf. Dean, Decade, Decimal, December, Eighteen, Eighty, Teens, Tithe.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ten”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details