decimate

Decimate is a verb with historical and contemporary senses. Etymology traces it to the Latin decimatus, from decimus meaning tenth. In ancient Rome, decimation was a disciplinary punishment in which one-tenth of a cohort or detachment was selected by lot and punished, typically by death or severe sanction. The exact method varied, and the practice was controversial and relatively rare, serving as a deterrent and example rather than a routine procedure.

In modern English, decimate most often means to destroy, devastate, or seriously reduce something in size or strength. The sense is frequently metaphorical, as in a disaster that decimates a city or a market decimated by recession. When a precise figure is intended, many writers specify the percentage or use more precise terms; some authorities view the historical one-tenth meaning as obsolete outside scholarly contexts.

Decimation (the noun) refers to the act of decimating or to a drastic reduction. In historical discussion it denotes the punishment described above; in everyday usage it denotes a substantial reduction in size or effectiveness. Usage notes highlight that, while the exact one-tenth sense is part of历史, the broader modern sense is widely accepted in journalism and general writing. Examples illustrate both senses: a wildfire decimating forest land, or a population decimated by disease.