dizaine

Dizaine is a French noun that designates a group or set of ten items. In usage, it also serves to indicate an approximate quantity around ten rather than an exact count. The expression is common in everyday language, journalism, and formal writing when precision is unnecessary.

In practical terms, une dizaine de personnes means about ten people, une dizaine de kilomètres about ten kilometers, and des dizaines de milliers about tens of thousands. The plural dizaines refers to tens as a general concept or to multiple groups of ten. The term can thus express both a rough magnitude and a recurring unit of ten in enumerations.

Etymology and related forms:-dizaine comes from Old French dizene, itself from Latin decena, from decem meaning ten. It is related to the word dix (ten) and sits alongside other quantitative forms such as dizaine, douzaine (twelve), and vingtaine (around twenty), which function similarly to convey approximate counts around specific milestones.

Distinctions: dizaine conveys roughly ten; it is not a precise numeral. Douzaine specifically denotes twelve, while vingtaine denotes around twenty. These terms are commonly used to discuss quantities in a non-technical or descriptive context, such as demographics, measurements, or inventory.

Overall, la dizaine is a versatile linguistic tool for expressing approximate scale and counting in tens, without committing to an exact figure.