How likely is this to be true?

[ShinySideUp]

Ok - I'm at a loss here. Decimate means kill, destroy, wipe out.
What am I missing?

The Romans used to punish their soldiers -- presumably the crimes had to be quite heinous, cowardice, mutiny etc. -- by selecting one soldier in ten and having them killed by the other 90 per cent of his particular cohort. This would make the rest rather more compliant; wouldn't it you?

Since it was 1 in 10 it was called decimating.

These days it is commonly used to signify that something has been reduced to almost nothing whereas it would rightly have been reduced by ten per cent.

From Wikipedia:

A cohort (roughly 480 soldiers) selected for punishment by decimation was divided into groups of ten. Each group drew lots (sortition), and the soldier on whom the lot of the shortest straw fell was executed by his nine comrades, often by stoning, clubbing, or stabbing. The remaining soldiers were often given rations of barley instead of wheat (the latter being the standard soldier's diet) for a few days, and required to bivouac outside the fortified security of the camp for some time.[3]

As the punishment fell by lot, all soldiers in a group sentenced to decimation were potentially liable for execution, regardless of individual degrees of fault, rank, or distinction.

So now you know. Sorry, you did ask.

 

[ANMAW]

Deleted

 

[ANMAW]

These days it is commonly used to signify that something has been reduced to almost nothing whereas it would rightly have been reduced by ten per cent.

Not just commonly used, the use of the word has changed from its original meaning of reduction by a 10th to its present use of almost total reduction/wipe out etc. You can check - It’s in the OED, Cambridge Dictionary, and I’d imagine any of the other various online dictionaries of your choice.

Interestingly, decimation was used to mean a tithe or tax in the medieval and early post-medieval period, including one imposed by Cromwell on the Royalists. I wonder if that’s where the modern usage comes from?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not just commonly used, the use of the word has changed from its original meaning of reduction by a 10th to its present use of almost total reduction/wipe out etc. You can check - It’s in the OED, Cambridge Dictionary, and I’d imagine any of the other various online dictionaries of your choice.

Now that is a classic example of pedantry

 

[ANMAW]

Now that is a classic example of pedantry

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We could start a new game - top pedantry trumps

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

or should that be pedantic top trumps?

 

[Murox]

Can we have a Pedants emoji please? and while you are at it can we have a waving flag of scotland emoji without the drinking . a choice would be nice.