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Daniel A. Ramaley wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:200810220819.16369.daniel.ramaley@drake.edu"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">On Tuesday October 21 2008 17:27, Bryan Baker wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Just don't get me started on "decimated"!
</pre>
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<pre wrap=""><!---->
I'll bite. What's wrong with "decimated"? I know the word has changed
definition somewhat drastically[1] but otherwise seems OK to me.
[1] Correct me if i'm wrong, but i think it once meant having 10% of
a population killed (in reference to a punishment meted out to
Roman Centurions), but now it means having 10% of a population
remain while the other 90% are wiped out. Or in more casual use,
it just means a substantial fraction loss of a population.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Ramaley Dial Center 118, Drake University
Network Programmer/Analyst 2407 Carpenter Ave
+1 515 271-4540 Des Moines IA 50311 USA
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</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
Yeah, that's the one.<br>
<br>
It's one of those things where some people use it incorrectly, it
eventually becomes accepted practice to use it incorrectly.<br>
<br>
I think it's commonly used now for an event more loose interpretation -
simply meaning that something was wiped out or destroyed, i.e. "The
tornado totally decimated the town." I've heard that expression used on
national news programs.<br>
<br>
-dc<br>
<br>
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