Origin Story
Today decimate means "to destroy in great numbers," but it once carried a very specific figure. The Latin decem means the number ten. In the ancient Roman army, when a unit mutinied or fled in cowardice, a terrible punishment was imposed to restore discipline. The soldiers were divided into groups of ten and made to draw lots; the one chosen was then executed by the remaining nine. This was called decimatio — "the punishment of one in ten." Having to kill a comrade with one's own hands made the terror beyond words. As the word crossed into English, it settled into the broader sense of "to kill or destroy in great numbers."
Strictly speaking, decimate means "to remove one-tenth," yet today it is most often used to mean "to destroy almost entirely." The gap between its precise etymology and its actual usage makes it a fascinating word.
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Online Etymology Dictionarydecimate (v.): c. 1600, "to select by lot and put to death every tenth man," from Latin decimatus, past participle of decimare, from decem "ten"
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Oxford English Dictionarydecimate: from Latin decimare "to take the tenth," referring to the Roman punishment of executing one in ten
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Merriam-Webster Dictionaryfrom Latin decimare "to punish every tenth person chosen by lot," from decimus tenth, from decem ten
Word Evolution
Words from the Same Root
Memory Hook
The number ten (decem) hides inside decimate. Remember it as "the Roman punishment of killing one in every ten."
""A punishment that once cut down one-tenth now means the destruction of everything.""
