I hate the use of the word “decimate” to describe “total or near total destruction”, even though the word’s structure clearly doesn’t mean that (decimation is called that cause it is a reduction by 10%). It would be like if future generations began using the word centimeter to just mean “really small length” instead of “hundredth of a meter”.
I think it would sound much better if 86% was described as “nearly 9 decimations” or “about 8 and a half decimations”. We should start doing that.
Ok, this word pedantry is dumb. I’ll make an actual comment on the news.
No I’m right there with you, I know language grows and evolves but it’s annoying to me that decimation is most often used to describe catastrophic loses or near annihilation
Now, apparently “decimate” has been being misused this way since the 1600s so some argue that means “decimate = nearly annihilate” is valid. No, it means people have been being wrong about the meaning of this word for 400 years.
I hate the use of the word “decimate” to describe “total or near total destruction”, even though the word’s structure clearly doesn’t mean that (decimation is called that cause it is a reduction by 10%). It would be like if future generations began using the word centimeter to just mean “really small length” instead of “hundredth of a meter”.
I think it would sound much better if 86% was described as “nearly 9 decimations” or “about 8 and a half decimations”. We should start doing that.
Ok, this word pedantry is dumb. I’ll make an actual comment on the news.
No I’m right there with you, I know language grows and evolves but it’s annoying to me that decimation is most often used to describe catastrophic loses or near annihilation
I need the following words to be banned from headlines: decimated, unprecedented, slammed,
Big same, didn’t see your comment before I groused about the same thing
Thank you! 100% agree.
Now, apparently “decimate” has been being misused this way since the 1600s so some argue that means “decimate = nearly annihilate” is valid. No, it means people have been being wrong about the meaning of this word for 400 years.