Decan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A ten-day period in the ancient Egyptian calendar ; each of the thirty-six divisions of the zodiac, roughly corresponding to ten degrees of arc
2. A ten-day interval used in the Egyptian timekeeping system ; one of thirty-six equal segments of the zodiacal circle, each spanning about ten degrees
3. A period of ten days within the Egyptian calendar ; any of the thirty-six zodiacal sections, each occupying approximately ten degrees of the ecliptic

Etymology: Late Latin "decānus" was a title for an official set over a group of ten, and the word's parts reflect that: the prefix "de-" joined to "can." The title passed into church life, where a leader of a small body of monks or clergy held authority over them. English used the same root for the church office that became "dean," and the variant "decan" was used for that office too. The idea of a unit of ten also reached astrology, where a decan is one of the thirty-six ten-degree divisions of the zodiac. The same numerical link connects a church official's authority over ten to a sign of the zodiac divided into thirds.

Synonyms: decanus, decanate