decahydrate
|de-ca-hy-drate|
/ˌdɛkəˈhaɪdreɪt/
ten waters bound
Etymology
'decahydrate' originates from Greek and New Latin elements: the prefix 'deca-' from Greek 'deka' meaning 'ten', and 'hydrate' from Greek 'hydor' via New Latin/French meaning 'water' or 'watered compound'.
'decahydrate' was formed in modern scientific nomenclature by combining the Greek combining form 'deca-' and the chemical term 'hydrate' (from New Latin/French usage such as 'hydratus'), becoming established in English chemical literature in the 19th and 20th centuries as 'decahydrate'.
Initially the elements literally meant 'ten' and 'water'; over time the compound form came to denote specifically a chemical substance or form containing ten molecules of crystallization water.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a hydrate of a chemical compound that contains ten molecules of water of crystallization per formula unit.
Copper(II) sulfate decahydrate is an example of a compound with ten water molecules in its crystalline form.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
used attributively to describe a compound or sample that is in the hydrated form containing ten water molecules (e.g., 'the decahydrate form').
The sample was isolated as the decahydrate.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/05 07:46