英语词汇decimate的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

decimate. After any mutiny in the Roman army, or any cow- ardice, the standard punishment was to take one man by lot out of each of the 10-man squads and have his fellow squad mem- bers kill him. From this disciplinary measure came the word decimare (from the Latin decem, 10, meaning “to kill one in 10”) that became the English decimate. Decimate strictly means to reduce a military force by [[TN]], but through careless usage has come to mean to destroy a large part of any population, even to obliterate it.

词汇	decimate
词源	decimate. After any mutiny in the Roman army, or any cow- ardice, the standard punishment was to take one man by lot out of each of the 10-man squads and have his fellow squad mem- bers kill him. From this disciplinary measure came the word decimare (from the Latin decem, 10, meaning “to kill one in 10”) that became the English decimate. Decimate strictly means to reduce a military force by [[TN]], but through careless usage has come to mean to destroy a large part of any population, even to obliterate it.
随便看	alkahest alkali alkalied alka-seltzer all aboard all-american all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others all at sea all chiefs and no indians all dressed up and no place to go all ears alley-oop all fogged up all foreign fruit plants are free from duty all for one and one for all all good americans go to paris when they die all gussied up all hands and the cook all hat and no cattle all his bullet holes is in the front of him allies alligator alligators-in-the sewers legend all i know is what i read in the papers all in the same boat