dĕcem | Decem primi, ūs | Dĕcemprīmi | dĕcem-prīmātus (noun M.m) : (DEKEM, Corp. Inscr. Lat. 1, 844 al.—The best MSS. and editt. vacillate often between the word and its sign X)
* Num. [Sanscr. and Zend, daçan, Gr. δέκα, Old H. Germ. zëhan, Germ. zehn, Eng. ten], ten.
* Prop.: decem minae,Ter. Ph. 4, 3, 57 and 58: hominum milia decem,Caes. B. G. 1, 4; 7, 21: fundi decem et tres,Cic. Rose. Am. 7, 20; cf. id. ib. 35, 99: milia passuum decem novem,Caes. B. G. 1, 8; Tac. H. 2, 58.
* (separated thus in the inscrr.), or in one word, , , m., the heads or presidents of the ten decuriae which usually formed the senate in an Italian city or Roman colony (afterwards called decaproti, v. h. v.): magistratus et decem primi,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 67; id. Rosc. Am. 9, 25; Inscr. Orell. 642 and 1848. Their dignity was termed , , m. (also decaprotia, v. h. v.), Dig. 50, 4, 1.
* Meton., for an indefinite, round number: si decem habeas linguas, mutum esse addecet,Plaut. Bac. 1, 2, 20; id. Merc. 2, 3, 11; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 25: habebat saepe ducentos, Saepe decem servos, etc.,id. S. 1, 3, 12: cf.: decies.

s. TLL