Search results
- DictionaryDe·ci·ma·tion/ˌdesəˈmāSH(ə)n/
noun
- 1. the killing or destruction of a large proportion of a group or species: "our growing hunger for fish has resulted in the decimation of fish stocks"
- 2. the killing of one in every ten of a group of people as a punishment for the whole group (originally with reference to a mutinous Roman legion). historical
People also ask
What does decimate mean?
Where does the word decimation come from?
What are some examples of a decimation?
Why is decimation important?
decimation: 1 n destroying or killing a large part of the population (literally every tenth person as chosen by lot) Type of: destruction , devastation the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
Decimation definition: The killing or destruction of a large portion of a population.
4 meanings: 1. the act of destroying or killing a large proportion of a group or population 2. in ancient Rome, the practice of.... Click for more definitions.
There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun decimation, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. decimation has developed meanings and uses in subjects including. economics and commerce (Middle English) military (Middle English) Roman history (late 1500s ...
decimate in British English. (ˈdɛsɪˌmeɪt ) verb (transitive) 1. to destroy or kill a large proportion of. a plague decimated the population. 2. (esp in the ancient Roman army) to kill every tenth man of (a mutinous section) USAGE One talks about the whole of something being decimated, not a part: disease decimated the population, not ...
the decimation of the indigenous population; Definitions on the go. Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, ...
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English decimate dec‧i‧mate / ˈdesɪmeɪt / verb [transitive] DESTROY to destroy a large part of something The population has been decimated by disease. — decimation / ˌdesəˈmeɪʃ ə n / noun [uncountable] → See Verb table Examples from the Corpus decimate • Legal aid for the poor is being ...
