decimate
To destroy or remove one-tenth ofTo destroy or remove one-tenth of (something).
Recorded UK: Speaker: Vealhurl Recorder: Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
» The soldiers decimated the unruly population.
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8 languagesExamples
17 sentencesThe soldiers decimated the unruly population.
Bruno learnt that humanity had been decimated.
The cavaliers were decimated by the artillery.
Meaning
8 senses(broadly)To devastate: to reduce or destroy significantly but not completely.
verheeren, übel zurichten, zugrunde richten
To destroy or remove one-tenth of (something).
To replace (a high-resolution model) with another of lower but acceptable quality. (Usually algorithmically)
More meanings 5
(archaic)To kill one-tenth of (a group), (historical, specifically) as a military punishment in the Roman army selected by lot, usually carried out by the surviving soldiers.
dezimieren
(obsolete)To exact a tithe or other 10% tax.
(obsolete, rare)To tithe: to pay a 10% tax.
(obsolete)To divide into tenths; to decimalize.
(proscribed)To reduce to one-tenth: to destroy or remove nine-tenths of (something).
истребля́тьistrebljátʹ, опустошатьopustošatʹ
- kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies
- kill in large numbers
Origin
The verb is first attested in 1591, the noun in 1641; borrowed from Latin decimātus, perfeThe verb is first attested in 1591, the noun in 1641; borrowed from Latin decimātus, perfect passive participle of decimō (“to kill one tenth; to tithe”) (see, from -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from decimus (“tenth”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). As a noun, via Latin decimatus (“tithing area; tithing rights”).
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Forms
decimates, decimating, decimated, decimatedTenses
decimate · decimated · will decimate · have decimatedPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Synonyms
7 synonyms- kill in large numbers:eliminateannihilateextinguisheradicatewipe outcarry off
Word family
5 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.