I'm a GM (Game Master) for a roleplaying game, and am in the process
of creating a custom world, thus, I don't plan to be using the 'proper
terms' we do, because it's a different world.  Basically, realism is
the primary goal, which brings me to the question I have for you.
	Where did the terms 'second', 'minute', 'hour', 'day',
'week','month', 'year', 'decade', 'century', and 'millenium',
originate?  Like, how did they come up with the words?  Were there any
other words they were derived from?
	I'd appreciate any assistance you could give me.  Thanx.

                                   Respectfully,
                                               Phil.

Dear philusion,

Here are the origins of the words you requested:

- Second -
The term "second" derives from the Classical Latin "secundus"
(="following, next in order"), and this original meaning is still
present in modern English in various ways (second in line, second
hand, etc.). The female form "secunda" became in Medieval Latin part
of the term "secunda pars minuta" (="second diminished part"),
describing the result of the second division of the hour by sixty. In
Old French, it was shortened to "seconde" (still in use today) and
then, around 1391, adopted as "second" by the English language.

- Minute -
The term "minute" derives from the Classical Latin "minutus"
(="small"), which is also present in several other modern English
words connected to smallness (mini, minimum, miniature, etc.). The
female form "minuta" became in Medieval Latin part of the term "pars
minuta prima" (="first small part"), which was used for one-sixtieth
of a circle, later of an hour. Subsequently, the expression was
shortened to today's "minute".  Next in order was "secunda pars
minuta", which became the "second". The term "minute" came in use
around 1378.

- Hour -
The word "hour" has a very long history. The ancient Babylonians
divided the entire day in twelve parts (so their "hours" were actually
twice as long as what we know as an hour), and the ancient Greeks
adopted this custom. However, the Greeks decided to divide only the
period of light into 12 parts, and the Romans adopted the system from
them. Night was not similarly divided till much later, and thus the
period of time covered by an hour varied according to the season. For
one-twelfth of this daytime division, the Greeks used the word "hora"
(="hour, time, season"). When the Romans adopted the Greek system,
they also took the term "hora". The Latin "hora" became "hore" (=
"one-twelth of the time between sunrise and sunset") in Old French,
and in the 12th century, it became part of the English language. The
h- has persisted in this word despite not being pronounced since Roman
times. "Hour" replaced the Old English terms "tid" (= literally
"time") and "stund" (= "period of time"), which are still present in
Germanic languages, such as modern German ("tid" = "Zeit" = "time",
"stund" = "Stunde" = "hour").

- Day -
The word "day" derives from the Old English "dæg", which in turn has
its roots in the (theoretical) Proto-Germanic "dagaz", and the older
(also theoretical) Proto-Indoeuropean "dhegh". The original meaning
was "the daylight hours". Close relatives of this word can be found in
all Germanic languages (German: Tag, Danish: dag, etc.).

- Week -
The origin of the "week" is the (theoretical) Proto-Germanic "wikon",
probably originally with the sense of "turn" or "succession", which
was the root for the Old English "wice" (= "week"). Weekday is in Old
English "wicdæge" (="day of the week"), in Medieval English meaning
any day other than Sunday. Related words can be found in Germanic
languages, such as the German "Woche" (="week).

- Month -
The modern English "month" originated from the Old English "monað",
which is derived from the (theoretical) Proto-Germanic "mænoth",
related to related to "mænon" (="moon"), from the Proto-Indoeuropean
"menses" (="moon, month"), since a month is based on one complete moon
cycle. It is also present in the modern Germanic languages (German:
"Monat" = "month", "Mond" = "moon").

- Year -
The root of the modern English word "year" is the (theoretical)
Proto-Germanic "jæran" (= "year"), which bacame the predecessor of the
Anglian "ger" and the West-Saxon and Old English "gear", the origins
of the "year". Close relatives of this family of words can be found in
other Germanic languages (German: "Jahr" = "year").

- Decade -
The "decade" derives from the Ancient Greek term "dekas" (= "group of
ten"), accusative: "dekada". In Late Latin, this Greek term was
adopted as "decadem" (nominative: "decas"), and from there it arrived
at the Medieval French as "decade". In England, its first use with the
meaning "ten years" is recorded in the year 1594.

- Century -
The word "century" comes from the Latin "centum" (= "one hundred") and
its derivation "centuria", meaning "group of one hundred", including a
measure of land and a division of the Roman army headed by a
centurion. The modern English "century" for "100 years" was first used
in 1638 as a contraction of "century of years".

- Millennium -
The origin of the "millennium" is the Latin "mille" (= "thousand"),
combined with the Latin "anni" (= "years", from "annus" = "year").
This English neologism was first used in 1638 in reference to the
"period of Christ's anticipated rule on Earth". With the meaning of
"any 1000-year period", this term was first recorded in 1711.

A brief note to the Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indoeuropean words: They
are all "theoretical" because they are not backed up with written
records (those idioms, roots for many modern languages, were used long
before scripture was invented). All terms were reversely designed by
linguists.

Source:

Online Etymology Dictionary, by Douglas Harper, 2001
http://www.etymonline.com/index.html

Hope this answers your question!
Bes regards,
Scriptor

Great job!  Your answer(s) is exactly what I was looking for.  It's
really interesting how words and expressions have developed over the
years, let alone centuries.  Again - great job.  Have a good
dæg..er..næg, Scriptor:)

In modern astronomy, day is how long the planet takes to turn on it's
axis = about 9 1/2 hours for Jupiter, longer for all the other
planets. Year is how long a planet takes to orbit it's Sun = 88
Earthdays for Mercury, longer for all other planets.
 A space faring race might have a basic unit of time = seq = to
perhaps 2 Earthseconds and use kilo seq, mega seq, giga seq, tera
seq.... the later being used for very long periods of time. That is
assuming they count in decimal = base 10. Base 8 = octal is probable
even if they don't have 4 fingers on each hand.   Neil

The human heart beats about once per second. A planet's moon circles
the planet in one luner month, which for Earth's Moon is about 13
times per year, so they made the months longer to get exactly 12
instead of unlucky 13.   Neil

Thanx for the info NeilZero.  I've adopted a rather simple, yet very
different system.

• 1 mil (millennium) = 10 cens = 50 gens = 100 decs = 1,000 years =
10,000 months = 40,000 weeks, 400,000 days = 8,000,000 hours =
400,000,000 minutes = 2,000,000,000 breaths = 10,000,000 beats =
4,000,000,000 seconds
• 1 cen (century) = 5 gens = 10 decs = 100 years = 1,000 months =
4,000 weeks = 40,000 days = 800,000 hours = 40,000,000 minutes =
200,000,000 breaths = 1,000,000,000 beats = 2,000,000,000 seconds
• 1 gen (generation) = 2 decs = 20 years = 200 months = 800 weeks =
8,000 days = 160,000 hours = 8,000,000 minutes = 40,000,000 breaths,
200,000,000 beats = 400,000,000 seconds
• 1 dec (decade) = 10 years = 100 months = 400 weeks = 4,000 days =
80,000 hours = 4,000,000 minutes =
20,000,000 breaths = 100,000,000 beats = 200,000,000 seconds
• 1 year = 4 seasons =10 months = 40 weeks = 400 days = 8,000 hours =
400,000 minutes = 2,000,000 breaths = 10,000,000 beats = 20,000,000
seconds
• 1 season = 2½ months = 10 weeks = 100 days = 2,000 hours = 100,000
minutes = 500,000 breaths = 2,500,000 beats = 5,000,000 seconds
• 1 month = 4 weeks = 40 days = 800 hours = 40,000 minutes = 200,000
breaths = 1,000,000 beats = 2,000,000 seconds
• 1 week = 10 days = 200 hours = 10,000 minutes = 50,000 breaths =
250,000 beats  = 500,000 seconds
• 1 day = 20 hours = 1,000 minutes = 5,000 breaths = 25,500 beats =
50,000 seconds
• 1 hour = 50 minutes = 250 breaths = 1,250 beats = 2,500 seconds
• 1 minute = 5 breaths = 25 beats = 50 seconds
• 1 breath = 5 beats = 10 seconds
• 1 beat = 2 seconds
• 1 second = 1 second

All I gotta do now is rename the time periods that differ from Earth
(1 day is 20 hours instead of 24), in order to make it unique and
avoid confusion.  At the same time though, I don't wanna make it TOO
different, which will take away from the game in order to remember all
the 'facts'.  Simple yet unique. {:-)
Anyway, thanx for your post.
                             - Phil