Where does “decimation” come from?
Decimation comes from Latin decimatio, derived from Latin decimus meaning tenth, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European déḱm̥ for ten.
decimation (English): The killing or punishment of every tenth person,...
Definitions
- The killing or punishment of every tenth person,...
Ancestry of “decimation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | decimatio | decimation; tithing |
| 2 | Latin | -tiō | — |
| 3 | Latin | dissertātiō | — |
| 4 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 5 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 7 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 8 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |