Fair enough, I'll dial down the criticism a little, but it really did feel like you were looking for a reason that it mean 1/10th rather than using the material immediately confronted with if you googled said word. Respected dictionaries all specific state that the "1/10" meaning is historic.

I know my friends wouldn't know decimate is 1/10 and would roll my eyes if I explained its historic useage vs what everyone uses it for, but you are probably right with your last point.

I can quite literally google the word and find this:

>decimate
>
>/ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/
>
>Learn to pronounce
>
>verb
>
>past tense: decimated; past participle: decimated

​

1. ​

>kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of.
>
>"the inhabitants of the country had been decimated"
>
>2.
>
>HISTORICAL
>
>kill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as a punishment for the whole group.
>
>"the man who is to determine whether it be necessary to decimate a large body of mutineers"

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/decimate

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decimated

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/decimate

Im interested why you put the one source, Wikitionary, the tried and tested! as the only example above all others.

But as you so eloquently put it, because it doesn't validate your point, "Whatever" you will twist it any which way to make you right.

Iraq was 20 years ago! And its the whole point I'm making! UK armed forces have only gotten incrementally better since then, anyone who works in defence knows this.

Numbers aren't everything, something Ukraine is arguably prooving?

Are you honestly being for real? If someone says they are decimated or something is decimated, do they mean "I've lost 1/10?" In the traditional Latin meaning of the word?

Most people dont even know it is Latin let alone that it means 1/10!

This is twisting the argument. And it's only a reflection of absolute numbers! Not if they are using better equipment etc, like is mentioned in the goddam article alot of the money is going to Trident renewal which perhaps even more important than having a couple thousand rifles!

Want to twist and move the goalposts again?

Conviently ignoring the more up-to-date and modern equipment that has been received and changes post Ukraine? Interesting view you have there.

And I didn't realise we were going to go back to the original Latin meaning of the word when the english version is far more common.

How to twist an argument 101.

He decimated the UK armed forces? Boy is it obvious how young some of these commenters are.

Iraq war?

All the equipment that has already been sent? Doesn't count?

Can you honestly not separate your hatred for someone, even when what they are doing is right? You don't have to like him but you have to recognise correct decisions when they are made.

Certainly makes sense! I dont think the French realise how good they have it.

It's almost like raising the retirement age might be necessary in what I also assume is an aging country like pretty much every Western country.

More of a story for Australian and French relations than one about Ukraine sadly, but at least the Ukrainians get some shells out of this modest rekindling I guess.

Except this isn't a debt and is an example of a government seeking to steal private wealth, the very thing they are accusing said family of doing in the far distant past.

2 wrongs make a right?

The crimes of the father are now visited on the children, as long as there is profit in it?

Or in this case, the crime of your father of your father's father's father's father's father.