Definition of Decimate
Decimate
dec·i·mate
Definition/Meaning
(verb)
to drastically reduce the number of something, to remove, destroy, or kill a large proportion of something;
e.g. This disease is expected to decimate the rodent population in the region.
(verb)
to cause extensive harm or destruction to something, or to cause a drastic reduction in its effectiveness or strength;
e.g. The rise of renewable energy would decimate the fossil fuel industry.
(verb)
in historical usage, to divide a group of people into sets of ten people and kill one person in each set (i.e. one in every ten people) as a punishment to the whole group, originally used for mutinous Roman legions;
e.g. The general ordered his men to decimate the mutinous unit.
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