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Decimating: meaning, definitions and examples

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decimating

 

[ ˈdɛsɪmeɪt ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

destroying drastically

To decimate means to destroy a large portion of something, often used in the context of reducing populations, resources, or structures severely. Originally, it referred to a specific punishment in the Roman army where one in every ten soldiers was killed as a punishment for mutiny or desertion.

Synonyms

annihilate, destroy, devastate, obliterate

Examples of usage

  • The hurricane decimated the coastal town.
  • The disease was capable of decimating the entire population.
  • Overfishing is decimating fish stocks in the ocean.

Translations

Translations of the word "decimating" in other languages:

🇵🇹 dizimando

🇮🇳 नाश करना

🇩🇪 dezimierend

🇮🇩 menghancurkan

🇺🇦 знищення

🇵🇱 dziesiątkowanie

🇯🇵 壊滅させる

🇫🇷 décimer

🇪🇸 diezmar

🇹🇷 yüzde doksanını yok etme

🇰🇷 대량으로 파괴하다

🇸🇦 تدمير

🇨🇿 decimování

🇸🇰 decimovanie

🇨🇳 大规模毁灭

🇸🇮 dezimacija

🇮🇸 deyja

🇰🇿 жойып жіберу

🇬🇪 დასუსტება

🇦🇿 məhv etmək

🇲🇽 diezmando

Word origin

The word 'decimate' comes from the Latin word 'decimare', which means to take a tenth. This term was derived from 'decimus', meaning 'tenth'. It originally referred to a punishment for mutiny among Roman soldiers where one in ten soldiers was executed. Over time, the meaning of decimation has evolved to imply the destruction or severe reduction of something to a significant degree, though it no longer carries the literal sense of referring to a tenth.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #35,786, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.