degrade

 
Pronunciation: /dɪˈgreɪd/

verb

[with object]
  • 1treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect: she thought that many supposedly erotic pictures degraded women
  • lower the character or quality of: vast areas of natural habitats have been degraded
  • 2break down or deteriorate chemically: the bacteria will degrade hydrocarbons
  • Physics reduce (energy) to a less readily convertible form.
  • Geology wear down (rock) and cause it to disintegrate.
  • 3 archaic reduce (someone) to a lower rank, especially as a punishment: he was degraded from his high estate

Derivatives

degradability

Pronunciation: /-əˈbɪlɪti/
noun

degradable

adjective

degradative

Pronunciation: /-dətɪv/
adjective

degrader

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French degrader, from ecclesiastical Latin degradare, from de- 'down, away from' + Latin gradus 'step or grade'