Comments on: Bats: Worse Than Decimated http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/nature/bats-worse-than-decimated/ Photos and Front Porch Musing from Floyd County Virginia Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:25:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Peter http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/nature/bats-worse-than-decimated/comment-page-1/#comment-3120 Peter Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:05:51 +0000 http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/2008/03/29/bats-worse-than-decimated/#comment-3120 Up here In Vermont and over in up state N.Y. there has been news of the bat die off all winter. I just read somewhere that it has showed up in Maine also. Up here In Vermont and over in up state N.Y. there has been news of the bat die off all winter. I just read somewhere that it has showed up in Maine also.

]]> By: fred http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/nature/bats-worse-than-decimated/comment-page-1/#comment-3110 fred Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:53:40 +0000 http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/2008/03/29/bats-worse-than-decimated/#comment-3110 Granted of course, but we've run roughshod over a perfectly good and precise word and upped the ante many fold--probably out of ignorance of the original meaning--to make it do more work than it was designed to do. It does SOUND worse than 10%. Hmmm. Wonder if there is any cross-pollination between "decimate" and destroy, destruction, those kind of roots that bear a common sounding prefix. Granted of course, but we’ve run roughshod over a perfectly good and precise word and upped the ante many fold–probably out of ignorance of the original meaning–to make it do more work than it was designed to do. It does SOUND worse than 10%. Hmmm. Wonder if there is any cross-pollination between “decimate” and destroy, destruction, those kind of roots that bear a common sounding prefix.

]]> By: Jeremiah http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/nature/bats-worse-than-decimated/comment-page-1/#comment-3109 Jeremiah Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:16:38 +0000 http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/2008/03/29/bats-worse-than-decimated/#comment-3109 According to my dictionary, the one out of every ten definition is "historical" and the current definition is much stronger: 1 kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of : the project would decimate the fragile wetland wilderness | the American chestnut, a species decimated by blight. • drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something) : plant viruses that can decimate yields. 2 historical kill one in every ten of (a group of soldiers or others) as a punishment for the whole group. According to my dictionary, the one out of every ten definition is “historical” and the current definition is much stronger:

1 kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of : the project would decimate the fragile wetland wilderness | the American chestnut, a species decimated by blight.
• drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something) : plant viruses that can decimate yields.
2 historical kill one in every ten of (a group of soldiers or others) as a punishment for the whole group.

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