Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

1. dĕcĭmus or dĕcŭmus (the latter form prevailed in the later law lang.; hence, decumanus), a, um, adj. [decem with superl. ending], the tenth.

  1. I. Prop.: mensis, Plaut. Am. 1, 2, 19; cf. Ter. Ad. 3, 4, 29: legio, Caes. B. G. 1, 40; cf. ib. 41; 42 al.: decima hora, Cic. Phil. 2, 31; and without hora, Auct. Her. 4, 51: annus, Verg. A. 9, 155: septuma (dies) post decumam, i. e. the seventeenth, id. G. 1, 284 Voss.: cum decumo efficit ager, i. e. tenfold, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 47, § 112; so, extulisset, ib. § 113.
        1. * b. dĕcĭmum, adv. (like tertium, quartum, etc.; cf. Gell. 10, 1), for the tenth time, Liv. 6, 40.
    1. B. Subst.: dĕcĭma (dĕcŭma), ae, f. (sc. pars), the tenth part, tithe.
      1. 1. As an offering: testatur Terentius Varromajores solitos decimam Herculi vovere, Macr. S. 3, 12; so Varr. L. L. 6, § 54 Müll.; Just. 18, 7, 7; cf. with pars; Naev. ap. Prisc. p. 874 P.; Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 80: tibi (sc. Pythico Apollini) hinc decumam partem praedae voveo, Liv. 5, 21; cf.: cum vovissent Apollini decumas praedae, Just. 20, 3, 3; cf. id. 18, 7, 7; Vulg. Gen. 14, 20; so esp. of the tithes given by the Hebrews to support the priesthood, id. Num. 18, 21 et saep.
      2. 2. A largess openly bestowed by public men on the people: Oresti nuper prandia in semitis decumae nomine magno honori fuerunt, Cic. Off. 2, 17, 58; so Suet. Calig. 26; id. Galb. 15; Tac. H. 1, 20.
      3. 3. A tithe, as a tax on landholders in the provinces, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 10, § 25; more freq. in plur., id. ib. 2, 3, 39, § 89 sq.
      4. 4. A tithe, as conveyed by last will: decimas uxoribus dari, Trach. ap. Quint. 8, 5, 19.
  2. II. Meton. (like decem, decies, etc.), considerable, large, immense (poet.): vastius insurgens decimae ruit impetus undae, Ov. M. 11, 530 (cf.: decimanus, no. II., and in Gr. τρικυμία); so of billows, Sil. 14, 122; Luc. 5, 672; Val. Fl. 2, 54 (decimus by circumlocut.: qui venit hic fluctus, fluctus supereminet omnes; posterior nono est undecimoque prior, Ov. Tr. 1, 2, 50).