English decimate is formed on the Latin past-participial stem decimāt-.
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COVERAGE LEDGER ↗EDGE / 0169borrowingestablished
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decimate
kill every tenth member historically; later destroy or reduce drastically
OPEN NODE 180 ↗DESCENDS FROM→
PARENT / EARLIER FORM / attestedLatin · Latin antiquity · take a tenthdecimāre
take a tenth; select every tenth person, including for punishment
OPEN NODE 181 ↗01
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The exact selection or taxation of a tenth broadens within English to drastic reduction or destruction.
First-known English use is reported in 1660; broader use follows within decades.
Merriam-Webster Editors
established — The broader sense is established English usage, not an etymological error.
reviewed
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CITATION REGISTER
SOURCES ON THIS EDGE
Decimate — Word HistoryDid You Know; Word History
supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Records exact Roman/English tenth-member sense, first use, and early broadening.
The Original Definition of DecimateRegarding the Incorrect Use of Decimate
supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Explains why the broader English sense is established rather than erroneous.
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EDITORIAL REUSE