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How has decimated changed in meaning? Decimated comes from the Roman military punishment "Decimation" where for some military unit being punished, 10% of their
by jacoblambda 6y ago
How has decimated changed in meaning?
Decimated comes from the Roman military punishment "Decimation" where for some military unit being punished, 10% of their ranks were to executed by their colleagues.
The most literal meaning of decimated is "to reduce by 10%" but the common meaning is from the complete and total destruction of morale and resistance that results from being forced to kill your colleagues.
- crowbahr 6y agoIf you told the average American "We decimated the Iraqi army" they'd think America wiped them out entirely. Or at least 50%. Which is why the modern 1st definition is: > "kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of."