decimation

[des-uh-mey-shuhn]

noun

1. the destruction of a great number or proportion of people, animals, or things.

   There is growing evidence that pesticide use is contributing significantly to the decimation of bee populations.

2. the act or practice of killing one-tenth of a population, as a punishment, to cull wild animals, or for other purposes.

   The Roman Empire used decimation, executing 1 in 10 people—ordinary citizens, slaves, or soldiers—to quell mutinies, riots, and other uprisings.

Word History and Origins

Origin of decimation¹

First recorded in 1450–1500, for an earlier sense; from Latin decimātiōn-, stem of decimātiō “a punishing of every tenth man”; decimate ( def. ), -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

In the 1990s, the unintentional decimation of the vulture populations in India led to an increased awareness of their role in human health.

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The 1921 racist massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the resulting decimation of the booming wealth center known as Black Wall Street, aren’t included in elementary and high school textbooks.

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Violent, often shocking and darkly funny, the book is a picture of the social decay sparked by the decimation of Britain's industrial heartlands.

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While his decimation of any semblance of Justice Department independence is troubling, it’s downright spine-chilling when it comes to elections.

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What is beyond doubt is the decimation of a family who have been a source of fascination and speculation in their native Norway and far beyond.

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Related Words

• assassination 
• bloodbath 
• bloodshed 
• carnage 
• extermination www.thesaurus.com
• genocide 
• murder 
• slaughter 
• slaying www.thesaurus.com