意味一覧 (2件)
壊滅させる
解説 Definition
人や物の大部分を失わせるほど甚大な被害を与え、集団・地域・資産などを壊滅状態に追い込むことを表す。戦争、災害、疫病、経済危機などが深刻な損害をもたらす文脈でよく使われ、比喩的に「激減させる」の意味でも用いられる。
To decimate means to destroy a large part of something or greatly reduce its number or strength. It is often used for populations, armies, forests, or resources after serious damage. In modern English, it usually means severe destruction, not an exact reduction by one tenth.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
decimate は damage よりはるかに強く、人・町・部隊・森林・産業などに甚大な被害を与えて壊滅状態に近づける語です。war, hurricane, disease, fire などが主語になり、be decimated by disease のような形でよく使われます。単に少し傷つけるのではなく、機能や力を大きく失わせる破壊的な結果を思い浮かべましょう。
`Decimate` is much stronger than simple `damage`. It is often used when war, disease, fire, or a storm destroys a large part of a town, army, forest, or community. The key idea is severe loss that leaves something greatly weakened.
例文
The economic crisis decimated the country's wealth.
その経済危機は国の富に壊滅的な打撃を与えた。
The disease decimated the population in the 14th century.
その病気は14世紀に人口を激減させた。
The hurricane decimated the coastal communities.
そのハリケーンは沿岸の地域社会を壊滅させた。
大幅に減らす
(意味 2)解説 Definition
数量・人数・売上・資源などを、かなり大きな割合で減らすことを表す。災害や政策、競争、病気などが原因で、全滅ではないが目に見えて規模や力が小さくなる文脈で使われる。
Decimate means to reduce something by a very large amount. It is often used when numbers, resources, sales, or strength become much smaller because of something serious such as disease, disaster, competition, or policy changes. It does not always mean complete destruction; something still remains, but its size or power is clearly and badly reduced.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
decrease や reduce の強い版として覚えるとよいです。decimate は単に少し減るのではなく、population, profits, sales, crops, workforce など、数や量で見られるものが大きく削られる感じです。destroy と違って「完全になくす」とは限らず、残ってはいるが規模や勢いが深刻に落ちた状態を表します。別エントリの「壊滅させる」は被害の結果に重心がありますが、この基本義では数・量の大幅な減少に注目します。
Think of decimate as a much stronger version of decrease or reduce. It is often used for things you can count or measure, such as population, profits, sales, crops, or workforce. Unlike destroy, it does not always mean something disappears completely; it means the amount or strength drops in a serious way.
例文
The disease decimated the cattle population in the region.
その病気は地域の牛の数を大幅に減らした。
Cheap imports decimated sales for many local farmers.
安い輸入品が多くの地元農家の売上を大きく減らした。
Years of drought have decimated crops across the country.
長年の干ばつで国内の作物は大幅に減った。
decimate の語源・成り立ち Etymology
decimate はラテン語 decimare「十分の一を取る」が語源で、decim- は decem「十」、-ate は動詞化。decimal や decade も同じ『十』の根を持つ。もとは『全滅』でなく『十人に一人を間引く罰』だったと知ると、意味の広がりがよく見える。
"Decimate" comes from Latin "decimare," meaning to take a tenth, from "decem" meaning "ten." Related English words with the same root include "decimal" and "decade." In Roman use it referred to punishing a group by killing one person in ten, and only later did the meaning widen to severe destruction in general.
外部辞書で調べる
この単語を英単語クイズで覚えよう