Septimation

//sɛptɪˈmeɪʃən// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The loss, seizure, destruction, or killing of one seventh (of something or of a group). countable, rare, uncountable

    "To Wilberforce ‘the Sabbath was a delight’ […] O how often, even among those who most punctiliously observe it, does it seem […] an unwelcome exaction, a sort of septimation of time, as grievous as church decimations of property."

Example

More examples

"To Wilberforce ‘the Sabbath was a delight’ […] O how often, even among those who most punctiliously observe it, does it seem […] an unwelcome exaction, a sort of septimation of time, as grievous as church decimations of property."

Etymology

From Latin septimus (“seventh”) + -ation, after decimation; compare septimate.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.