Incorrect definitions.
<rant>
What does decimate mean?
I wish people would learn what words mean before using them.
Most people incorrectly think it means something like "suffer sever damage" or "completely destroy".
The original meaning of “decimate” (from Latin decimare / decimatio) is to remove or kill one in every ten (from decem, “ten”). In the Roman army, it was a rare but severe collective punishment applied to units guilty of major offenses. Such as mutiny, mass cowardice, or mass desertion.
How it worked
The offending soldiers (often a cohort, maniple, or larger group) were assembled. Lots were drawn so that roughly one-tenth were selected at random. Those selected were then beaten or clubbed to death (fustuarium) by their own comrades. The survivors typically faced additional humiliation: barley rations instead of wheat, and being forced to camp outside the fortified camp.
</rant>
#decimate #etymology #definition #ignorance #LanguageDrift #history #Roman #Legion #Punishment
<rant>
What does decimate mean?
I wish people would learn what words mean before using them.
Most people incorrectly think it means something like "suffer sever damage" or "completely destroy".
The original meaning of “decimate” (from Latin decimare / decimatio) is to remove or kill one in every ten (from decem, “ten”). In the Roman army, it was a rare but severe collective punishment applied to units guilty of major offenses. Such as mutiny, mass cowardice, or mass desertion.
How it worked
The offending soldiers (often a cohort, maniple, or larger group) were assembled. Lots were drawn so that roughly one-tenth were selected at random. Those selected were then beaten or clubbed to death (fustuarium) by their own comrades. The survivors typically faced additional humiliation: barley rations instead of wheat, and being forced to camp outside the fortified camp.
</rant>
#decimate #etymology #definition #ignorance #LanguageDrift #history #Roman #Legion #Punishment
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