decimate

[David A. Daniel]

MW likes it OK : 3 a : to reduce drastically especially in number <cholera
decimated the population> b : to cause great destruction or harm to
<firebombs decimated the city> <an industry decimated by recession>

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if one thinks to decimate can
only mean one tenth, then one must think that to orient (or orientate) can
only mean showing which way is east. (And other such logical truths.)
DAD


If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Joel S. Berson
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 10:51 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: decimate



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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