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The word decimated held different meaning that that which is used today. 'Deci' means 'tenth', so, initially (as in Roman times) when a Legion was Decimated, one man in ten was executed. Today it can not only mean to "kill" but destroy, or harm, or reduce by any means. Additionally, it is commonly used today to mean much more than "one in ten," it can equally mean to reduce to a tenth of its former size.

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16y ago

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