[PRCo] Re: New Math

[Donald Galt]

On 11 Feb 2007 at 14:23, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> Yes, it is frequently misused.  The original meaning has been totally
> ignored.  We are an ignorant people when it's convenient, aren't we?
> 
> These days, "decimate" is often used to mean "nearly destroy", rather than
> in the precise historical sense.  You might say the original usage has been
> decimated.
> 
> -j.
> 

My, aren't we all the classical scholars! Me too, I first heard the word in HS 
Latin.

But the OED lists the sloppy "devastate" meaning as dating from 1663. And used 
by no less than Macaulay. So it ain't just us modern slobs, lads.

Don