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Decimate for Dummies

verb

pronunciation: 'dɛsə,meɪt

What does Decimate really mean?

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Hey there! So, the word "decimate" might sound a little complicated, but let's break it down together. When we say something is "decimated," it means that a large portion of it has been completely destroyed or removed. Imagine if you had a big bowl of your favorite snack, and someone came along and took away almost all of it, leaving just a tiny bit left. That's kind of like what "decimate" means – a big reduction in something's size or strength.

But wait, there's more! The word "decimate" actually comes from a really old Latin word, “decimare,” which literally means "to take a tenth." Back in ancient times, when soldiers were punished for disobedience, every tenth person in a group would be killed – that's where the word originally comes from. So, it has a pretty intense history!

So, when we use "decimate" today, it's like saying that something has been dramatically reduced or devastated. You might hear it used to talk about things like a sports team getting decimated by their opponents, or a natural disaster decimating a town – basically, it's about a really significant amount of destruction or loss.

So, to sum it up, "decimate" means to severely reduce something, often leaving just a small fraction of it remaining. It's a pretty powerful word, and now you know just what it means!


Revised and Fact checked by Daniel Clark on 2023-11-15 03:16:15

Decimate In a sentece

Learn how to use Decimate inside a sentece

  • The hurricane decimated the small town, destroying nearly all of the buildings and leaving the residents without homes.
  • The invasive species decimated the local plant and animal populations, causing a major imbalance in the ecosystem.
  • The economic downturn decimated the job market, leaving many people unemployed and struggling to make ends meet.
  • The plague decimated the population of the medieval city, wiping out a large portion of the residents in a short period of time.
  • The war decimated the infrastructure of the country, leaving towns and cities in ruins and in need of major reconstruction.

Decimate Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

annihilate annihilate carry off carry off eliminate eliminate eradicate eradicate extinguish extinguish wipe out wipe out

Decimate Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

kill kill kill kill