# decennium
## English
### Etymology

From Latin decennium, from decennis (“10-year”) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns), from deciēs (“ten times”) + annus (“year”) + -is (suffix forming compound adjectives). Equivalent to decennial +‎ -ium.

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /dɪˈsɛnɪəm/

### Noun

decennium (plural decenniums or decennia)
* Synonym of decade: a ten year period.
    Coordinate terms: annum, biennium, triennium, quadrennium, quinquennium, sexennium, septennium, octennium, novennium, vicennium, tricennium, centennium, quincentennium, millennium, decamillennium, centimillennium, millionennium
** 1998, soc.culture.netherlands‎ (Usenet):G.B. still has to cope with the heritage of approx. 20 years of consecutive Conservative reigns, just as you guys are getting your act together after almost a decennium of Enlightened Ronnie.
** 1996, soc.culture.usa‎ (Usenet):Christian leaders refused even to *look* through Galileo's telescope (as a matter of fact, the Vatican cleared Galileo's name only as late as in the previous decennium).

#### Usage notes

When decennium is used in place of the more common decade, it is generally employed to avoid the connection of decade with the set spans of ten year calendar periods whose last digits run from 0 to 9.

#### Derived terms

* decennal
* decenniad

#### Related terms

* (adj.): See decennial
* (adv.): See decennially
* (10-year anniversary): decennial

## Danish
### Etymology

From Latin decennium.

### Noun

decennium n (singular definite decenniet, plural indefinite decennier)
* decade; a period of ten years

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “decennium” in Den Danske Ordbog
* “decennium” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin decennium.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˌdeːˈsɛ.ni.ʏm/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: de‧cen‧ni‧um
* Rhymes: -ɛniʏm

### Noun

decennium n (plural decennia or decenniën or decenniums, diminutive decenniumpje n)
* a decade, a period of ten years

#### Synonyms

* decade (rare)
* jaartiental

## Latin
### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /deˈken.ni.um/, [d̪ɛˈkɛnːiʊ̃ˑ]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /deˈt͡ʃen.ni.um/, [d̪eˈt͡ʃɛnːium]

### Etymology 1

From decennis (“10-year”) +‎ -ium (“-ium”, suffix forming abstract nouns); from decem (“ten”) + annus (“year”) + -is (suffix forming compound adjectives).

#### Noun

decennium n (genitive decenniī or decennī); second declension
* decennium; decade

##### Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).
$^1$Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

##### Derived terms

* decennalia
* duodecennium

##### Related terms

* biennium
* octennium
* quadriennium
* quinquennium
* septuennium
* sexennium
* tricennium
* triennium
* vicennium

##### Descendants

* Danish: decennium
* Dutch: decennium
* English: decennium
* Norwegian: decennium, desennium
* Swedish: decennium

#### See also

* biduum, triduum, trimenium

### Etymology 2
#### Adjective

decennium
* genitive masculine/feminine/neuter plural of decennis

### References

* “decennium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* decennium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Noun

decennium n (definite singular decenniet, indefinite plural decennier, definite plural decennia or decenniene)
* alternative spelling of desennium

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Noun

decennium n (definite singular decenniet, indefinite plural decennium, definite plural decennia)
* alternative spelling of desennium

## Swedish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /dɛˈsɛnɪɵm/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

decennium n
* a decade (period of ten years)
    Synonym: årtionde

#### Declension
### References

* decennium in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* decennium in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* decennium in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)