■ verb
1》 cause to suffer a severe loss of dignity or respect; demean.
↘lower the character or quality of.
↘ archaic reduce to a lower rank, especially as a punishment.
2》 cause to break down or deteriorate chemically.
↘ Physics reduce (energy) to a less readily convertible form.
Derivatives
degradability noun
degradable adjective
degradative adjective
~r noun
Origin
ME: from OFr. ~r , from eccles. L. degradare , from de- 'down' + L. gradus 'grade'.