decimated
/ˈdɛs.ɪ.meɪ.tɪd/
verb (past participle/adjective)
Origin
Latin
decimare — to take a tenth
Overview
Meaning Now
- To kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of a population.
- Historically, to select and kill every tenth person in a group as a punishment.
Literal older meaning
Taking the tenth part.
Language path
Latin → French → English
Earliest form
decimatus
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The Roman practice of 'decimatio' was a brutal form of military discipline. If a unit revolted or showed cowardice, one out of every ten soldiers was chosen by lot to be executed by the other nine. This ensured collective accountability.
Evolution
- Latin
decimus
“tenth”
- Latin
decimare
“to punish by execution of every tenth man”
- 16th-century English
decimate
“to exact a tithe or levy 10% of a group”
- 19th-century English
decimated
“to kill a large portion of a group”
Semantic shift from 'a tenth' to 'a large portion'.
Connections
Word parts
decim-
root
ten
-ate
suffix
verb-forming suffix
-ed
ending
past participle suffix
Related across languages
French
décimer
to decimate
Italian
decimare
to decimate
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Related to decimated
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.