'Decimate' means much more today than it did in ancient Rome

A depiction of a Roman decimation. William Hogarth/Wikipedia Commons hide caption toggle caption William Hogarth/Wikipedia Commons If you've been following the news lately, you might have noticed that a certain word has suddenly become a favorite of President Trump's: "decimate." He has used it a lot to describe U.S. military action against Iran. Take, for example, part of his April 1 address to the nation about Operation Epic Fury: "We've beaten and completely decimated Iran. …