Decimated: meaning, definitions and examples
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decimated
[ ˈdɛsɪmeɪtɪd ]
destruction, reduction
To decimate something means to destroy or remove a large portion of it, often leading to significant loss or damage. Originally, the term referred to a Roman military punishment where one in ten soldiers was killed as a form of discipline. In modern usage, it signifies a dramatic reduction in strength, number, or effectiveness. For instance, a disease may decimate a population, or a company might decimate its workforce during layoffs.
Synonyms
annihilate, destroy, devastate, obliterate, ravage
Examples of usage
- The plague decimated the population of Europe in the 14th century.
- The wildfire decimated thousands of acres of forest land.
- The economy was decimated by the recession.
Translations
Translations of the word "decimated" in other languages:
🇵🇹 decimado
🇮🇳 नाश करना
🇩🇪 dezimiert
🇮🇩 dihancurkan
🇺🇦 знищений
🇵🇱 zdziesiątkowany
🇯🇵 壊滅させる
🇫🇷 décimé
🇪🇸 diezmado
🇹🇷 yüzde doksan oranında yok edilmiş
🇰🇷 파괴된
🇸🇦 مدمر
🇨🇿 decimovaný
🇸🇰 decimovaný
🇨🇳 十倍削减
🇸🇮 decimiran
🇮🇸 decimeraður
🇰🇿 жойылған
🇬🇪 დამდგარი
🇦🇿 məhv edilmiş
🇲🇽 diezmado
Word origin
The term 'decimate' derives from the Latin word 'decimare', which means 'to take a tenth'. This verb is formed from 'decimus', meaning 'tenth'. In ancient Rome, decimatio was a form of military discipline whereby a unit was punished by the killing of one in every ten soldiers. While this practice served to instill discipline among troops, the word has evolved in contemporary language to refer to the act of causing severe destruction or harm to something, especially in a way that leads to significant loss. As English expanded in its vocabulary, 'decimate' found broader applications beyond the military context, being employed to describe losses in various fields such as ecology, economics, and statistics.