decimate

[ronbutters at AOL.COM]

"decimate" is correct for most people, who are not overly burdened by trivia of etymology .
------Original Message------
From: Joel S. Berson
Sender: ADS-L
To: ADS-L
ReplyTo: ADS-L
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] decimate
Sent: Jul 21, 2010 8:51 AM

At 7/21/2010 09:09 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Now it's moved all the way to "annihilate; wipe out":
>
>2008 Herman J. Viola _Warriors in Uniform_ (Washington, D.C.: National
>Geographic) 52: The decimation at the Little Big Horn could have been
>averted had Custer heeded the advice of his Crow scouts.

This seems particularly egregious when "annihilation" is readily
available, and correct.

Joel

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