See Also: decimate(medicine)
decimate(dictionary)
decimate(dictionary)

decimate (iou)



decimate verb trans. L16.
[Latin decimat- pa. ppl stem of decimare, from decimus: see DECIMAL, -ATE3.]
Hist. Select by lot and execute one in every ten of, esp. as a punishment in the Roman legions. L16.
gen. Kill, destroy, or remove one in ten of; loosely destroy a large proportion of, cause heavy losses or fatalities in. M17.
R. Lehmann All my parents' friends, all my friends' brothers were getting killed. Our circle was decimated. V. Cronin Plague decimated Moscow in 1771.
Subject to a tithe or tax of one-tenth. M17-M19.
? Loose usage prob. stems from a misunderstanding of sense 1 as 'execute nine out of ten of'.
decimator, decimater noun (a) a person who exacts tithes; (b) a person who or thing which decimates a body of people, etc. L17.