ten
ten
Pronunciation
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:
ten:
/t/ (voiceless alveolar stop)
/ɛ/ (open-mid front unrounded vowel)
/n/ (voiced alveolar nasal)
Word Form Variations
The word "ten" primarily functions as a cardinal number. As such, it generally does not have singular/plural variations in the same way nouns do.
Number: ten (refers to the quantity)
Noun (referring to a group of ten): tens (e.g., "counting by tens")
Ordinal Number: tenth (e.g., "the tenth day")
Fractional: tenth (e.g., "one tenth of a cup")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
I. Noun
Definition 1: The cardinal number following nine and preceding eleven, represented by the numeral 10. It represents a quantity equivalent to the sum of one and nine, or two times five.
Synonyms: n/a (as a specific number, it doesn't have synonyms in the typical sense)
Antonyms: n/a
Definition 2: A group or set consisting of ten items or individuals.
Example: "The teacher asked the students to work in tens."
Synonyms: decade (when referring to a period of ten years), decuplet (a group of ten of something)
Antonyms: n/a
II. Adjective
Definition 1: Consisting of a quantity of ten.
Example: "I bought ten apples."
Synonyms: n/a (as a specific numerical adjective, it doesn't have synonyms)
Antonyms: n/a
Examples of Use
Books:
"He had already spent ten days in the hospital, and was growing restless." (From The Martian by Andy Weir, February 2014)
"The train arrived precisely at ten o'clock, a testament to the punctuality of the Japanese rail system." (From A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami, October 1982)
Newspapers:
"The city council approved a budget increase of ten percent for public transportation." (The New York Times)
"Police arrested ten suspects in connection with the recent string of burglaries." (The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"Top Ten Tips for Boosting Your Productivity Working From Home." (Forbes.com)
"The Ten Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time, According to Critics." (IGN.com)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television (Dialogue): "You have ten seconds to disarm the bomb, Agent." (From 24, a television series)
Music (Song Title): "Ten Thousand Fists" (Song by Disturbed, September 2005)
Video Games (UI/Gameplay): "You collected ten coins!" (Common in platformer games like Super Mario Bros.)
Film (Dialogue): "I'll give you ten dollars if you just tell me where she went." (Common in various film genres)
General Public Discourse:
"Can you pass me ten plates for the picnic?"
"My little brother just turned ten last month."
"I'll meet you at the cafe at ten to grab coffee."
"On a scale of one to ten, how good was that concert?"
10 Quotes Using Ten
"When angry, count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred." (Thomas Jefferson)
"Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it." (Lou Holtz)
"Success is falling nine times and getting up ten." (Jon Bon Jovi)
"We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten." (Bill Gates)
"A good night sleep, or a ten minute bawl, or a pint of chocolate ice cream, or all three together, is good medicine." (Ray Bradbury)
"Science never solves a problem without creating ten more." (George Bernard Shaw)
"You can kill ten of our men for every one we kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and we will win." (Ho Chi Minh)
"I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress." (Ronald Reagan)
"On a wide view, I could see that it makes little difference whether one dies at the age of thirty or threescore and ten - since, in either case, other men and women will continue living, the world will go on as before." (Albert Camus)
"If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people." (Confucius)
Etymology
The word "ten" comes from a very old root that means "two hands" or "twice five." Imagine how people first started counting – probably by using their fingers! So, "ten" literally meant having counted all the fingers on both hands.
Its journey through languages goes way back to something called Proto-Indo-European, which is the ancestor of many languages spoken today, including English, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit. The Proto-Indo-European word for "ten" was something like deḱm̥.
From there, it evolved into Proto-Germanic as tehun, and then into Old English as tīen or tēn. This Old English word tēn is where our modern "ten" comes from.
The first known use and meaning of the word have always been about the number or quantity of one more than nine, and it's been used in this sense for thousands of years across different cultures and languages. It's one of those basic counting words that's been essential to human communication for a very, very long time!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Ten
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "ten":
Count to ten: To pause and calm down before reacting in anger.
A perfect ten: Something or someone that is excellent or flawless (often used in the context of scores, like in gymnastics).
The Big Ten: A major collegiate athletic conference in the United States.
Ten-four: A radio code meaning "okay" or "message received" (often used by police or truckers).
Ten-gallon hat: A large hat with a high crown, commonly associated with cowboys.
On a scale of one to ten: A way to ask for a rating or an assessment of something's quality or intensity.
Ten times out of ten: Almost always; in nearly every instance.
Behind the ten-foot pole: An idiom meaning to avoid something completely (often "I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole").
To be in a group of ten: To be part of a decet or a team of ten.
A ten-strike: A perfect score in bowling; more generally, a great success or achievement.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of ten from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
