v. t. | 1. | To take the tenth part of; to tithe. |
2. | To select by lot and punish with death every tenth man of; | |
3. | To destroy a considerable part of; |
Verb | 1. | decimate - kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies |
2. | decimate - kill in large numbers; "the plague wiped out an entire population" |