decimate

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“
(Corruptissima republica plurimae leges) the popular connotation of decimate is the first, to completely wipe out.

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. transitive verb To destroy or kill a large part of (a group).
  2. transitive verb Usage Problem To inflict great destruction or damage on: The fawns decimated my rose bushes.
  3. transitive verb Usage Problem To reduce markedly in amount: a profligate heir who decimated his trust fund.
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Examples (50)

  • We wonder whether the word decimate originated in relation to the behavior of the Roman Empire, the Nazis, or some alternative source. —  The Word Detective
  • Another concurrent meaning of decimate was "to exact a tax of one-tenth," but it's the grisly "kill every tenth person" meaning that has survived to the present day, and thereby hangs a tale of disputed English usage. —  The Word Detective
  • That means Brewer, who has a budget proposal of her own, will have to continue to wait for lawmakers to send her a budget plan she has said would "decimate" K-12 education and cut vital state programs.
  • With the massive Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip continuing unabated, and with Israeli political and military leaders threatening to "decimate" Hamas, Palestinian intellectuals as well as ordinary people expect Hamas's popularity to rise dramatically when the present Israeli campaign is over. —  Palestine Blogs aggregator
  • By Khalid Amayreh With the massive Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip continuing unabated, and with Israeli political and military leaders threatening to "decimate" Hamas, —  Palestine Blogs aggregator
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same contextWord Family

decimate:   decimating ·  decimated
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Latin decimāre, decimāt-, to punish every tenth person, from decimus, tenth, from decem, ten; see dekm̥ in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Latin decimatus, past participle of decimare (later F. décimer = Spanish (obsolete) Portuguese decimar = Italian decimare = Dutch decimeren = German decimiren = Danish decimere = Swedish decimera), select the tenth by lot (for punishment), pay tithes, from decimus, tenth: see decimal.
 

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/ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/
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