dĕcem — Lewis & Short
dĕcem (DEKEM, Corp. Inscr. Lat. 1, 844 al.—The best MSS. and editt. vacillate often between the word and its sign X),
I num. [Sanscr. and Zend, daçan, Gr. de/ka, Old H. Germ. zëhan, Germ. zehn, Eng. ten], ten.
I Prop.:
decem minae,Ter. Ph. 4, 3, 57 and 58:
hominum milia decem,Caes. B. G. 1, 4; 7, 21:
fundi decem et tres,Cic. Rose. Am. 7, 20; cf. id. ib. 35, 99:
milia passuum decem novem,Caes. B. G. 1, 8; Tac. H. 2, 58.—
B Decem primi (separated thus in the inscrr.), or in one word, Dĕcemprīmi, ōrum, m., the heads or presidents of the ten decuriae which usually formed the senate in an Italian city or Roman colony (afterwards called decaproti, v. h. v.):
magistratus et decem primi,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 67; id. Rosc. Am. 9, 25; Inscr. Orell. 642 and 1848. Their dignity was termed dĕcem-prīmātus, ūs, m. (also decaprotia, v. h. v.), Dig. 50, 4, 1.—
II Meton., for an indefinite, round number:
si decem habeas linguas, mutum esse addecet,Plaut. Bac. 1, 2, 20; id. Merc. 2, 3, 11; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 25:
habebat saepe ducentos, Saepe decem servos, etc.,id. S. 1, 3, 12: cf.: decies.