*déḱm̥

Reconstruction

The HCHIEL morphology chapter by Lundquist and Yates writes *dék̑m̥,^[1] Adams *dékm̥,^[2] and Beekes and de Vaan *déḱm or *deḱm.^[3][4] Mallory and Adams give *dék̂m̥ or *dék̂m̥t and think the form with *-t probably original, the shorter one coming from the loss of *-t in the rare cluster *-m̥t.^[5] Ringe writes *déḱm̥d, whose final stop was lost in Proto-Germanic *tehun.^[6] Beekes instead takes the -t- as a collective formation, seen in Sanskrit दशत् (daśát), Lithuanian dẽšimt, Old Church Slavonic десѧть (desętĭ) and Albanian dhjetë.^[3] Derksen sets up *deḱm-t- for the Balto-Slavic forms.^[7]

Morphology

Like the other numerals from 'five' to 'ten', it was uninflected.^[1] 'Hundred' was a neuter derivative, *dk̑m̥-tó-m, which lost its first consonant to give *k̑m̥tóm, and the decades were formed with a suffix based on 'ten', probably *-dk̑omth₂.^[1] Clackson relates 'ten', 'twenty', 'fifty' and 'hundred' to a stem *dk′mt-, perhaps a derivative meaning 'decad', a sense kept in Sanskrit दशत् (daśát, “decad”).^[8] Beekes traces the ordinals Ancient Greek δέκατος (dékatos, “tenth”), Lithuanian dešim̃tas and Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌰 (taihunda) to *déḱmto-, but Latin decimus (“tenth”), Old Irish dechmad and Sanskrit दशम (daśamá) to *deḱmHo-.^[3] Mallory and Adams set up *d(e)k̂m̥tós and a new *dek̂m̥mos.^[5]

Evidence

It is attested in Indo-Iranian, Greek, Italic, Celtic, Germanic, Armenian, Albanian, Balto-Slavic and Tocharian.^[5] Adams finds the Tocharian initial ś- hard to explain and reports several proposals, among them an early assimilation of *t- to the following *k.^[2] Martirosyan thinks Old Armenian տասն (tasn) more probably reflects a zero grade taken from the ordinal *dk̂mto- than an assimilation of *tesan.^[9]

Competing analyses

Kroonen derives the numeral from a root *dek- 'to fit, to arrange in a row'.^[10] Sihler reports the older analysis as *d(w)e- 'two' and the zero grade of *ḱemt- 'hand', but holds that such etymologies cannot be tested.^[11]

Meanings

1. ten^[1][2]

Derivatives

• *deḱm-t-, the collective, in Sanskrit दशत् (daśát) and the Balto-Slavic words for 'ten'.^[3][7]
• *dk̑m̥tóm, becoming *k̑m̥tóm 'hundred'.^[1]
• *déḱmto- and *deḱmHo- 'tenth'.^[3]

Reflexes

• Tocharian: Tocharian A śäk, Tocharian B śak (“ten”).^[2]
• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit दश (dáśa, “ten”).^[12]
• Iranian: Avestan dasa (“ten”).^[4]
• Armenian: Old Armenian տասն (tasn, “ten”).^[9]
• Greek: Ancient Greek δέκα (déka, “ten”).^[3]
• Albanian: Albanian dhjetë (“ten”).^[13]
• Italic: Latin decem (“ten”).^[4]
• Celtic: Old Irish deich (“ten”), from Proto-Celtic *dekam.^[14]
• Germanic: Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐌽 (taihun, “ten”).^[10]
• Baltic: Lithuanian dešimtìs (“ten”).^[15]
• Slavic: Old Church Slavonic десѧть (desętĭ, “ten”).^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. p. 2104
2. ^ a b c d Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 674
3. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. δέκα
4. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. decem
5. ^ a b c Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 315
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 100
8. ^ Clackson, James (2007), Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, Cambridge: CUP
9. ^ a b Martirosyan, Hrach K. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 616
10. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 512
11. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP, p. § 386
12. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 26
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (1998), Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden / Boston / Köln: Brill, p. s.v. dhjetë
14. ^ Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. ch. 68, Stifter
15. ^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 316