decimate English · revision 24

+ ==Etymology==

+ First recorded c. 1600,^(Etymonline) or in 1591 according to Wiktionary,^(Wiktionary) in the sense “to select by lot and put to death every tenth man”.^(Etymonline) It is [[bor|la|decimātus]], past participle of [[la|decimāre|t=to punish every tenth man chosen by lot; to tithe]],^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary) [[der|la|decimus|t=tenth]], [[der|la|decem|t=ten]],^(AHD)^(RHWU) [[der|ine-pro|*dekm̥|t=ten]].^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

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+ The Romans sometimes inflicted this punishment on mutinous armies and rebellious cities.^(Etymonline) The looser sense “destroy a large number of” has been in use since the 1660s.^(Etymonline)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}