decadal C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈdɛkədəl/ UK /ˈdekədəl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj relating to or occurring over a period of ten years Scientists tracked decadal shifts in ocean temperature. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · relating to or occurring... decennialten-yearly Word family Related forms decadedecad Appears in Phrases (1) See all decadal variability changes occurring over periods of roughly ten years Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From decade plus the suffix -al. Decade is from Late Latin decas (stem decad-), from Ancient Greek dekás ('group of ten'), from déka ('ten'). dekás Ancient Greek déka Ancient Greek View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # decadal **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈdɛkədəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈdekədəl/ ## Meanings 1. relating to or occurring over a period of ten years ## Examples - Scientists tracked decadal shifts in ocean temperature. ## Synonyms - decennial - ten-yearly ## Related Forms - decade - decad ## Roots and Affixes - Root: dekás - Root: déka ## Etymology From decade plus the suffix -al. Decade is from Late Latin decas (stem decad-), from Ancient Greek dekás ('group of ten'), from déka ('ten'). ## AI Etymology Decadal is from decade plus the suffix -al. Decade is from Late Latin decas (stem decad-), from Ancient Greek dekás ('group of ten'), from déka ('ten'). The ancestry passes through Ancient Greek dekás and Ancient Greek déka. The suffix -al forms an adjective of relation, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as an adjective, it means "relating to or occurring over a period of ten years", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include decade and decad. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown