Why don't people use 'decimate' correctly?

Question

To 'decimate' something means to wipe out, by some means, one tenth of its population. The word originated, if I'm not much mistaken, with the Romans, and is somewhat self-explanatory. So, how come it is endlessly used to refer to the destruction of huge quantities of something? It's even described as such in dictionaries now. If you're talking about wiping out 99% of the population, aren't words like 'destroy', 'annihilate', even 'wipe out' so much better?

Answer 1

The same reason that 'refute' is rarely used to mean to prove something (a statement, theory etc) is wrong. Now it is used in place of 'deny':
Any word used 'wrongly' by enough speakers/writers for long enough, allows the word to move into common usage and then it appears in the dictionary like that. Lexicographers compiling dictionaries are describing the language as it is being used (that's why new words like "chav" are added every now and then) and not telling us how we should be using the language.

According to Chambers 21st Century Dictionary decimate has been used in the 'new' meaning since the 17th century:

decimate verb (decimated, decimating) to reduce greatly in number; to destroy a large part or number of something. decimation noun. decimator noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c in this sense; 16c in historical sense 'to select by lot and execute one in every ten': from Latin decimare to take a tenth person or thing, from decem ten.

Whereas 'refute' used wrongly is described as colloquial:

refute verb (refuted, refuting) 1 to prove that (a person, statement, theory, etc) is wrong. 2 colloq to deny. refutable adj. refutably adverb. refutation noun 1 refuting. 2 an argument, etc that refutes. refuter noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 16c: from Latin refutare to drive back or rebut.

So, it may be too late to save the original meaning of decimate but 'refute' could be saved if everyone starts to use it as it should be!

Answer 2

Hi there.
Interesting question!
I read a lot and have noticed that the word "decimate" was being used correctly as recently as the 1950's. This leads me to suspect that it is the education system that is responsible here.
"Decimation" was a ritual punishment in the Roman legions, given against a legion or cohort found guilty of treachery, cowardice or rebellion. the basic unit of the legion was 10 men under the command of an NCO and they would be forced to watch as one of their mates was killed - usually unpleasantly. As each unit of 10 was always together, this meant every survivor lost someone close, if not a mate.
You may know this, sorry if so, but the word seems recently to have been picked up by people who have read it in an older book and correctly understood that "decimation" is an awful thing without having the deeper knowledge of exactly why.
I agree with you, this should be corrected. All the other words you use are more apt for the scenarios you have outlined.
Cheers, Steve.

Answer 3

Unfortunately some words tend to be misused so often that it becomes the norm to use them in this way. Take "electrocuted" which is often used when someone has received an electric shock, when it actually means "to be killed by an electric shock"
But then language is a living, changing thing and the world would be a much duller place if new words weren't being invented all the time. I guess the price to pay is the misuse of existing ones

Answer 4

People do not use the word "decimate" correctly because they aren't as anal about such minor matters as are some people. I collect old dictionaries and it is sad but true that perfectly good words come and go through the years. The word "decimate" is definately on it's way out. Weep not for this poor word, nor mourn it's fall from fame, for others are arriving daily that shall mean about the same. : )

Answer 5

Remember, you're asking a population that thinks "RU2?" is a grammatically correct question! Many, many words have been misused over my lifetime, and the misuses have often become the new "correct" definitions.

Sadly, I blame TV journalists for a lot of this. They inappropriately use big words that they never bothered to look up, and then other journalists pick the words up and it propigates. Pretty soon everyone saying them because they heard them on TV, and if you hear it on TV, it must be right.

And then, of course, there is a certain highly placed political figure who chronically mangles the language (and few of his supporters notice)...

Answer 6

Because people don't see the importance of knowing the root of the word. Somewhere in the back of our minds we know that decimate means to destroy a lot of something, so that's what it's taken to mean.

When I try to tell them that a word with the prefix 'dec' means 'ten' or 'tenth', they point me to December and say I'm wrong because December isn't the 10th month ..... Ahhhhhh, but it used to be. Same as October was the 8th month, September was the 7th month and November was the 9th.

It's round about now that they roll their eyes and tell me to be quiet.

Answer 7

People are ignorant of the true meanings of words, e.g. if you describe something as fantastic this means it doesn't exist in reality but people use it to describe something as very good.

Answer 8

I noticed that too. It can become correct usage if enough people say it that way...