tens
|tens|
/tɛnz/
(ten)
number 10
Etymology
'tens' is the regular plural of 'ten,' which originates from Old English 'tīen' (ten). The Old English word comes from Proto-Germanic '*tehun' and ultimately Proto-Indo-European '*déḱm̥' meaning 'ten'.
'tens' was formed in modern English by adding the plural suffix '-s' to the inherited word 'ten' (Old English 'tīen'), which evolved through Middle English to the modern form 'ten'.
The core meaning — the number ten — has remained stable; 'tens' simply denotes either multiple units of ten or the tens place/range.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the plural form of the number ten (10).
The numbers on the list are mostly tens and twenties.
Noun 2
the tens place or tens digit in a numeral (the digit representing how many tens are in the number).
In the number 47, the tens digit is 4.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/08/16 15:16