degrade

One entry found for degrade.

Main Entry: de·grade
Pronunciation: di-'grAd, dE-
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French degrader, from Late Latin degradare, from Latin de- + gradus step, grade -- more at GRADE
transitive verb
1 a : to lower in grade, rank, or status : DEMOTE b : to strip of rank or honors c : to lower to an inferior or less effective level <degrade the image quality> d : to scale down in desirability or salability
2 a : to bring to low esteem or into disrepute <his actions have degraded his profession> b : to drag down in moral or intellectual character : CORRUPT
3 : to impair in respect to some physical property <material degraded by exposure to sunlight>
4 : to wear down by erosion
5 : to reduce the complexity of (a chemical compound) : DECOMPOSE
intransitive verb
1 : to pass from a higher grade or class to a lower
2 of a chemical compound : to become reduced in complexity
- de·grad·er noun
- de·grad·ing·ly /-'grA-di[ng]-lE/ adverb