English [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ]

Borrowed from Latin decimāre (“to take or offer a tenth part”), from decimus (“tenth”).[1] As a noun, via Latin decimatus (“tithing area; tithing rights”).[2]

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Verb [ edit ]

decimate (third-person singular simple present decimates, present participle decimating, simple past and past participle decimated)

Usage notes [ edit ]

Senses of decimate other than "to reduce by one in ten" are occasionally proscribed but "to devastate" has now become the more common usage.[1][3] The sense "to reduce to one in ten" is etymologically unsound and omitted by the OED but increasingly common.

Synonyms [ edit ]

( to kill 10% of ) : tithe

( to kill 90% of ) : tithe

( to lay waste ) : See devastate

( to pay a 10% tax ) : See tithe

( to divide into ⅒s ) : See decimalize

Coordinate terms [ edit ]

( reduce proportionately, by single aliquot part ) : tertiate quintate sextate septimate duodecimate centesimate

Derived terms [ edit ]

Related terms [ edit ]

Translations [ edit ]

to reduce by one-tenth Catalan: delmar (ca)

— see tithe to collect or pay a tithe

computer graphics: to replace with lower resolution Finnish: alentaa resoluutiota

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked French: (please verify) décimer (fr)

Ido: (please verify) decimacar (io) Italian: (please verify) decimare (it)

Norwegian: (please verify) desimere

Noun [ edit ]

decimate (plural decimates)

( obsolete ) A tithe or other 10% tax or payment. ( obsolete ) A tenth of something. ( obsolete ) A set of ten items.

References [ edit ]

1.0 1.1 Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "decimate, v." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2015. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "† decimate, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2015. ^ Cambridge Guide to English Usage, p. 144.

decimate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

, G. & C. Merriam, 1913. The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1914

Anagrams [ edit ]

Italian [ edit ]

Verb [ edit ]

decimate

Anagrams [ edit ]

Latin [ edit ]

Verb [ edit ]

decimāte