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Decimate means to remove 1 out of 10, so a decimated share price would have fallen by only 10%, technically. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation_(Roman_arm

Decimate means to remove 1 out of 10, so a decimated share price would have fallen by only 10%, technically. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation_(Roman_army)#Current_usage_of_the_word http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation_(Roman_army)#Current...

eropple 14y ago
You are not even "technically" correct and I have to say it's really annoying seeing this come up again and again in every HN thread where someone uses the word. Even setting aside that, yes, usage dictates meaning in English, the OED has included the definition against which you rail for 350 years. You're wrong. And you're the worst kind of wrong: pedantically wrong. Please stop.
- monochromatic 14y ago
  It's basically a skunked term at this point. No matter which sense you use it in, some subset of your readers is going to take umbrage. There are other, better, words available that can take its place.
  - eropple 14y ago
    There are better words, sure, but if you're going to be That Guy Who Literally-Literally Everyone Hates And Nobody Wants To Ever Talk To...be right. Because, I mean, if you're going to be That Guy etc. etc., being right is close to the only thing you've got left.
    - monochromatic 14y ago
      I'm not saying I'd bring this up in casual conversation. Just that it's a word I personally choose not to use in my writing.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
arrrg 14y ago
It used to mean that. A long, long time ago. Not for several centuries. Now, don’t get me wrong, the etymology of words is intensely interesting. It always makes me happy to learn how words were originally used and how that meaning changed – but all that doesn’t help you decide what a word actually means right now.
- monochromatic 14y ago
  The fact that people still argue argue about the only-several-centuries-old newfangled meaning of this word signifies to me that I probably shouldn't use it in my writing. If I use it to mean "reduce by one tenth" most of my readers will be confused; if I use it to mean "destroy," a vocal minority will be annoyed.
  - arrrg 14y ago
    Uhm, no you do not get to move the goal posts. Argue against using the word. Don’t dare argue that it has a different meaning than it actually has. Also, I think I will increase my use of decimate. If it pisses off those annoying pedants (who are perfectly aware of what is being communicated and won’t be the slightest bit confused) I will be happy. I successfully communicated and pissed off people I don’t like. Yay!
    - monochromatic 14y ago
      > people I don’t like But I like you...
    - chimeracoder 14y ago
      > I successfully communicated and pissed off people I don’t like. Yay! You'll make a lot of friends with that attitude.
      - arrrg 14y ago
        Oh, I don’t want to be friends with people who are pedants about stuff like this.

eropple 14y ago

You are not even "technically" correct and I have to say it's really annoying seeing this come up again and again in every HN thread where someone uses the word. Even setting aside that, yes, usage dictates meaning in English, the OED has included the definition against which you rail for 350 years. You're wrong. And you're the worst kind of wrong: pedantically wrong. Please stop.

monochromatic 14y ago
It's basically a skunked term at this point. No matter which sense you use it in, some subset of your readers is going to take umbrage. There are other, better, words available that can take its place.
- eropple 14y ago
  There are better words, sure, but if you're going to be That Guy Who Literally-Literally Everyone Hates And Nobody Wants To Ever Talk To...be right. Because, I mean, if you're going to be That Guy etc. etc., being right is close to the only thing you've got left.
  - monochromatic 14y ago
    I'm not saying I'd bring this up in casual conversation. Just that it's a word I personally choose not to use in my writing.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]

arrrg 14y ago

It used to mean that. A long, long time ago. Not for several centuries. Now, don’t get me wrong, the etymology of words is intensely interesting. It always makes me happy to learn how words were originally used and how that meaning changed – but all that doesn’t help you decide what a word actually means right now.

monochromatic 14y ago
The fact that people still argue argue about the only-several-centuries-old newfangled meaning of this word signifies to me that I probably shouldn't use it in my writing. If I use it to mean "reduce by one tenth" most of my readers will be confused; if I use it to mean "destroy," a vocal minority will be annoyed.
- arrrg 14y ago
  Uhm, no you do not get to move the goal posts. Argue against using the word. Don’t dare argue that it has a different meaning than it actually has. Also, I think I will increase my use of decimate. If it pisses off those annoying pedants (who are perfectly aware of what is being communicated and won’t be the slightest bit confused) I will be happy. I successfully communicated and pissed off people I don’t like. Yay!
  - monochromatic 14y ago
    > people I don’t like But I like you...
  - chimeracoder 14y ago
    > I successfully communicated and pissed off people I don’t like. Yay! You'll make a lot of friends with that attitude.
    - arrrg 14y ago
      Oh, I don’t want to be friends with people who are pedants about stuff like this.