decimate

[ des-uh-meyt ]

/ ˈdɛs əˌmeɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR decimate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), dec·i·mat·ed, dec·i·mat·ing.

to destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by a plague.

to select by lot and kill every tenth person of.

Obsolete. to take a tenth of or from.

Origin of decimate

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin decimātus, past participle of decimāre “to punish every tenth man chosen by lot,” verbal derivative of decimus “tenth,” derivative of decem “ten”; see ten, -ate¹

historical usage of decimate

The earliest English sense of decimate is “to select by lot and execute every tenth soldier of (a unit).” The extended sense “destroy a great number or proportion of” developed in the 19th century: Cholera decimated the urban population. Because the etymological sense of one-tenth remains to some extent, decimate is not ordinarily used with exact fractions or percentages: Drought has destroyed (not decimated ) nearly 80 percent of the cattle.

OTHER WORDS FROM decimate

dec·i·ma·tion, noundec·i·ma·tor, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH decimate

1. decimal, decimate 2. decimate , destroy (see word story at the current entry)

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for decimate

Bentivolio noted that “at the end, [the British] did make it but they were decimated.”
Tea Party Reindeer Farmer Faces Extinction|Ben Jacobs|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hell, it worked for Tokyo in the 20th—after that city was decimated by Allied bombers, it was basically one big slum.
Great Cities are Born Filthy|Will Doig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The earth has been decimated by climate change, stranding what remains of humanity on a train.
Welcome to Snowpiercer’s Apocalypse|Teo Bugbee|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I am a little surprised they did not think the networks were decimated in 2012,” he said.
How Obama Convinced His Spies to Support the Taliban Prisoner Release|Eli Lake|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“A lot of their networks are decimated at this point,” one U.S. intelligence official said.
How Obama Convinced His Spies to Support the Taliban Prisoner Release|Eli Lake|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All kinds of calamities overspread the earth and decimated the race,--war, pestilence, and famine.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume IV|John Lord
He introduced into that assembly, decimated during the civil wars, three hundred knights.
History of Julius Caesar Vol. 1 of 2|Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.
The Cardinal-Archbishop of Lyons had to enlist laymen to fill the gaps in his decimated clergy.
Vanished Halls and Cathedrals of France|George Warton Edwards
Though hardy and long-lived, they are uncleanly in their habits and often decimated by small-pox and Siberian plague.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7|Various
Another company was decimated, and fortunately the colonel was among the casualties.
John Brown|Captain R. W. Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for decimate

decimate

/ (ˈdɛsɪˌmeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to destroy or kill a large proportion ofa plague decimated the population

(esp in the ancient Roman army) to kill every tenth man of (a mutinous section)

Derived forms of decimate

decimation, noundecimator, noun

Word Origin for decimate

C17: from Latin decimāre, from decimus tenth, from decem ten

usage for decimate

One talks about the whole of something being decimated, not a part: disease decimated the population, not disease decimated most of the population

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

单词	decimate
释义	decimate [ des-uh-meyt ] / ˈdɛs əˌmeɪt / SEE SYNONYMS FOR decimate ON THESAURUS.COM verb (used with object), dec·i·mat·ed, dec·i·mat·ing. to destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by a plague. to select by lot and kill every tenth person of. Obsolete. to take a tenth of or from. Origin of decimate First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin decimātus, past participle of decimāre “to punish every tenth man chosen by lot,” verbal derivative of decimus “tenth,” derivative of decem “ten”; see ten, -ate¹ historical usage of decimate The earliest English sense of decimate is “to select by lot and execute every tenth soldier of (a unit).” The extended sense “destroy a great number or proportion of” developed in the 19th century: Cholera decimated the urban population. Because the etymological sense of one-tenth remains to some extent, decimate is not ordinarily used with exact fractions or percentages: Drought has destroyed (not decimated ) nearly 80 percent of the cattle. OTHER WORDS FROM decimate dec·i·ma·tion, noundec·i·ma·tor, noun WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH decimate 1. decimal, decimate 2. decimate , destroy (see word story at the current entry) Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for decimate Bentivolio noted that “at the end, [the British] did make it but they were decimated.” Tea Party Reindeer Farmer Faces Extinction\|Ben Jacobs\|July 30, 2014\|DAILY BEAST Hell, it worked for Tokyo in the 20th—after that city was decimated by Allied bombers, it was basically one big slum. Great Cities are Born Filthy\|Will Doig\|July 13, 2014\|DAILY BEAST The earth has been decimated by climate change, stranding what remains of humanity on a train. Welcome to Snowpiercer’s Apocalypse\|Teo Bugbee\|June 29, 2014\|DAILY BEAST “I am a little surprised they did not think the networks were decimated in 2012,” he said. How Obama Convinced His Spies to Support the Taliban Prisoner Release\|Eli Lake\|June 3, 2014\|DAILY BEAST “A lot of their networks are decimated at this point,” one U.S. intelligence official said. How Obama Convinced His Spies to Support the Taliban Prisoner Release\|Eli Lake\|June 3, 2014\|DAILY BEAST All kinds of calamities overspread the earth and decimated the race,--war, pestilence, and famine. Beacon Lights of History, Volume IV\|John Lord He introduced into that assembly, decimated during the civil wars, three hundred knights. History of Julius Caesar Vol. 1 of 2\|Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873. The Cardinal-Archbishop of Lyons had to enlist laymen to fill the gaps in his decimated clergy. Vanished Halls and Cathedrals of France\|George Warton Edwards Though hardy and long-lived, they are uncleanly in their habits and often decimated by small-pox and Siberian plague. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7\|Various Another company was decimated, and fortunately the colonel was among the casualties. John Brown\|Captain R. W. Campbell British Dictionary definitions for decimate decimate / (ˈdɛsɪˌmeɪt) / verb (tr) to destroy or kill a large proportion ofa plague decimated the population (esp in the ancient Roman army) to kill every tenth man of (a mutinous section) Derived forms of decimate decimation, noundecimator, noun Word Origin for decimate C17: from Latin decimāre, from decimus tenth, from decem ten usage for decimate One talks about the whole of something being decimated, not a part: disease decimated the population, not disease decimated most of the population Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Words related to decimate wipe out, obliterate, annihilate, slaughter, exterminate, execute, massacre, butcher, stamp out, kill off
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decimate

verb (used with object), dec·i·mat·ed, dec·i·mat·ing.

Origin of decimate

historical usage of decimate

OTHER WORDS FROM decimate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH decimate

Example sentences from the Web for decimate

British Dictionary definitions for decimate

verb (tr)

Derived forms of decimate

Word Origin for decimate

usage for decimate

Words related to decimate