Definition of DECIMATION

decimation

Plural: decimations

Noun

  • destroying or killing a large part of the population (literally every tenth person as chosen by lot)
  • The killing or punishment of every tenth person, usually by lot.
  • The killing or destruction of any large portion of a population.
  • A tithe or the act of tithing.
  • The creation of a new sequence comprising only every nth element of a source sequence.
  • The creation of a new sequence comprising only every nth element of a source sequence.
  • A digital signal-processing technique for reducing the number of samples in a discrete-time signal; downsampling

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Latin decimātiō, a punishment where every 10th man in a unit would be stoned to death by the men who were spared. Used by the Romans to keep order in their military. Compare septimation and vicesimation.

Synonyms

tithing

Scrabble Score: 15

decimation: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
decimation: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
decimation: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 18

decimation: valid Words With Friends Word