decimate

[ des-uh-meyt ]

verbdestroy

Synonyms for decimate

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Antonyms for decimate

Word Origin & History

c.1600, in reference to the practice of punishing mutinous military units by capital execution of one in every 10, by lot; from Latin decimatus, past participle of decimare (see decimation). Killing one in ten, chosen by lots, from a rebellious city or a mutinous army was a common punishment in classical times. The word has been used (incorrectly, to the irritation of pedants) since 1660s for "destroy a large portion of." Related: Decimated; decimating.

Example Sentences fordecimate

You meant to let the royal blood, and to decimate the nobility of France.

These are the dreaded wild dogs which decimate the game in the jungle.

You wish to shed royal blood and to decimate the nobility of the kingdom, do you?

If he caught them on the steep ice between the two cedar clumps he could decimate them with ease.

Absolute principles create division, and inspire the temptation to decimate, to expel, to kill enemies.

There is a report, also, that the Government mean to decimate the cowards who ran away yesterday, pour encourager les autres.

Cruelty and cunning could not retain them, but it could decimate a population and lose an army in the attempt.

Suddenly a terrible plague broke out in the city, and threatened to decimate the population.

Decimate (decimo, from decem, ten, in Latin) was to take for death every tenth man of a body that had behaved very badly.

The weasel, the owl, and the cat—the terrible cat—are appointed to decimate the population of birds.

decimate

annihilated

defeat

defeating

defeats

demolish

decimate

More words related to decimate

annihilate

annihilated

defeat

defeating

defeats

demolish