[log in to unmask][log in to unmask], 30 Jan 2008 08:36:48 -0500664_iso-8859-1 Dictionaries I consulted list "kill every 10th person" as a second or
third meaning for the word decimate, with the first meaning more generally
to "destroy a great number or proportion of".
The usage note from the American Heritage Dictionary (online, 4th edition,
2006) reads:
"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. Sixty-six percent of the Usage Panel accepts this extension in the
sentence The Jewish population of Germany was [...]36_30Jan200808:36:
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