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Before wandering off to find the real definition of decimate, take a moment to consider what you perceive to be the meaning.
From the usage section:
Decimate originally referred to the killing of every tenth person, a punishment used in the Roman army for mutinous legions. Today this meaning is commonly extended to include the killing of any large proportion of a group.
When I heard the original definition a couple weeks ago (probably on History Channel) I scribbled down (ok, typed) a note (one among many) to check it out. In retrospect, the true (original) meaning is obvious.
The Language Corner has an interesting attack on modern usage. I'll just blame the media, they're responsible for everything these days.
Posted by Dave at March 25, 2005 08:41 PM