vicesimation
/ˌvaɪsiːsɪˈmeɪʃən/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The destruction of one-twentieth of something; especially, the killing or putting to death of every twentieth person, especially by lot.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The common prisoners…were ordered to cast lots for every twentieth man to be tried, as a sort of vicesimation."
- "We must change the numerator of our fraction.…If one must have the precise fractional term in “ation,” and the loss is one in five, let him coin the word quintation…if one in twenty, vicesimation."
Etymology
Probably formed by the suffixation of the Latin vīcēsimus (“twentieth”) with the English -ation on the pattern of decimation, but compare the Latin vīcēsimātiō (“a killing of every twentieth man”); the spelling vigesimation is an alteration of vicesimation under the influence of vigesimal.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: vīcēsimus
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˌvaɪsiːsɪˈmeɪʃən/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Frequently Paired Words
quintation (1
5)
septimation (1
7)
decimation (1
10)
tricesimation (1
30)