"Ten Commandments," late 14c., from Latin decalogus, from Greek dekalogos, from the phrase hoi deka logoi used to translate "Ten Commandments" in Septuagint. See deca- + Logos.
Entries linking to decalogue
deca-
before a vowel, dec-, word-forming element meaning "ten," from Latinized combining form of Greek deka "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten"). In the metric system, "multiplied by ten;" while deci- means "divided by ten."
Logos n.
1580s, "the divine Word, second person of the Christian Trinity," from Greek logos "word, speech, statement, discourse," also "a computation, account," also "reason, judgment, understanding," from PIE *log-o-, suffixed form of root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak," on notion of "to pick out words." The Greek word was used by Neo-Platonists in metaphysical and theological senses involving notions of both "reason" and "word" and subsequently picked up by New Testament writers.