Etymology

hexadeca-

Today it means: sixteen Full definition →

English deca- ← French déca- ← Late Latin decas
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swéḱs
  2. Proto-Hellenic*hwéks
  3. Ancient Greekἕξ (héx)
  4. Ancient Greekἑξα- (hexa-)
  5. Latinhexa-
  6. Englishhexa-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*déḱm̥
  8. Proto-Hellenic*dékə
  9. Ancient Greekδέκᾰ (dékă)
  10. Ancient Greekδεκάς (dekás)
  11. Late Latindecas
  12. Frenchdéca-
  13. Englishdeca-
  14. English todayhexadeca-

From hexa- (“six”) + deca- (“ten”). Compare Ancient Greek ἑκκαίδεκα (hekkaídeka, “sixteen”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.