decury

decury

English

Etymology

From Latin decuria, from decem (“ten”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛkjəɹi/

Noun

decury (plural decuries)

1. (historical) A set or squad of ten men under a decurion.
   • 1904, John Henry Freese, Alfred John Church, And William Jackson Brodribb, Roman History, Books I-III‎:

     Accordingly, the hundred senators divided the government among themselves, ten decuries being formed, and the individual members who were to have the chief direction of affairs being chosen into each decury.

   • 1760, Robert Kerr, A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 1‎:

     If one, two, or more of a decury proceed bravely to battle, and the rest do not follow, the cowards are slain.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for decury in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)