decimation

• Nom désignant le fait de détruire ou de tuer une grande partie d'une population, ou historiquement le châtiment consistant à exécuter un soldat sur dix tiré au sort.

A noun referring to the act of destroying or killing a large portion of a population, historically derived from the practice of executing every tenth person chosen by lot.

indénombrable

1. Large-scale destructionC1formal

   The act of destroying or killing a large portion of a group, historically referring to the punishment of killing one in every ten soldiers.

   Décimation (destruction massive)

   • The plague caused the decimation of the village population.
   • Historians describe the decimation of the Roman legion as a brutal punishment.
   • The war led to the decimation of entire communities.

   Synonymesannihilationcarnagedemolitiondevastationeradicationexterminationhavocmassacre

2. Severe reductionC1formal

   A drastic reduction in numbers or amount, often used metaphorically.

   réduction drastique

   • The budget cuts resulted in the decimation of the arts program.
   • The hurricane caused the decimation of the local wildlife.
   • The company faced the decimation of its workforce after the merger.

   Synonymesannihilationattritiondepletiondestructiondevastationreduction

   Antonymesaugmentationexpansiongrowthincreasemultiplication