The New International Encyclopædia/Decimation

​DEC′IMA′TION (Fr. décimation, Lat. decimatio, from decimare, to decimate, from decem, ten). A punishment sometimes inflicted in the armies of ancient Rome. In instances where a crime had been committed by soldiers en masse, which would merit death in the individual, one-tenth of the whole number would be put to death. The individuals were selected by lot.

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