decimate
/ˈdɛsəmeɪt/verb
decimate is spelled D-E-C-I-M-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, decimate means “To destroy or remove one-tenth of (something)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in decimate?
| Letters | 8: D-E-C-I-M-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,954th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is decimate?
Decimate appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce decimate?
- UK /ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/
- US /ˈdɛsəmeɪt/
Decimate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-decimate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with decimate?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as decimate (/ɛsəmeɪt/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: medicate.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of decimate
- decimates present, singular, he/she/it
- decimating participle, present
- decimated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decimate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
archaicTo kill one-tenth of (a group), (historical, specifically) as a military punishment in the Roman army selected by lot, usually carried out by the surviving soldiers.
God sometimes decimates or tithes delinquent persons, and they died for a common crime, according as God hath cast their lot in the decrees of predestination.
- 2
To destroy or remove one-tenth of (something).
- 3
To devastate: to reduce or destroy significantly but not completely.
Um, some sort of power overload. I'm afraid it decimated your breakfast.
- 4
obsoleteTo exact a tithe or other 10% tax.
- 5
obsoleterareTo tithe: to pay a 10% tax.
- 6
obsoleteTo divide into tenths; to decimalize.
- 7
proscribedTo reduce to one-tenth: to destroy or remove nine-tenths of (something).
- 8
To replace (a high-resolution model) with another of lower but acceptable quality. (Usually algorithmically)
A decimate tool allows us to obtain a more coarse-grained view of the data over the full n-dimensional space.
noun
- 1
obsoleteA tithe or other 10% tax or payment.
- 2
obsoleteA tenth of something.
- 3
obsoleteA set of ten items.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decimate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décimer |
| German | dezimieren , verheeren, übel zurichten, zugrunde richten |
| Portuguese | dizimar |
| Spanish | diezmar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does decimate come from?
The verb is first attested in 1591, the noun in 1641; borrowed from Latin decimātus, perfect passive participle of decimō (“to kill one tenth; to tithe”) (see, from -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from decimus (“tenth”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). As a noun, via Latin decimatus (“tithing area; tithing rights”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).