decadelor

Decadelor is a time unit used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to denote a period of ten years. It is not an established unit in real-world chronometry; in actual practice, longer terms like decades are used, but decadelor offers a calendar-neutral frame for long-term planning and storytelling. In most configurations, one decadelor equals ten Earth calendar years, though some worldbuilders tie a decadelor to planetary orbital cycles or fictional calendars, allowing slight variation in length.

Etymology: The name combines the prefix deca- meaning ten with a fictional suffix -lor, a common stylistic coinage in glossaries of invented time units. There is no single authority governing its use; different settings may adjust its exact length or reference frame.

Usage: Decadelor appears in worldbuilding glossaries, science fiction novels, and game design discussions where authors want to discuss long horizons without committing to a specific calendar system. It provides a stable unit for phrasing about multi-year plans, political terms, or climate cycles that span multiple decades.

Variants: Some authors split a decadelor into two five-year segments or broaden it into a “long decadelor” to reflect slower orbital or cultural cycles. In most stories, the decadelor serves as a conceptual tool rather than an official time standard.

See also: Decade, Century, Calendar reform, Worldbuilding glossary, Chronological units.