abase

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Origin: F. abaisser, LL. abassare, abbassare; ad + bassare, fr. bassus low. See Base, adjective

1. To lower or depress; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye. archaic Francis, Baron Verulam Bacon

Saying so, he abased his lance.— Thomas Shelton

2. To cast down or reduce low or lower, as in rank, office, condition in life, or estimation of worthiness; to depress; to humble; to degrade.

Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased.— Luke xiv. ll.

Synonyms: To Abase, Debase, Degrade. These words agree in the idea of bringing down from a higher to a lower state. Abase has reference to a bringing down in condition or feelings; as, to abase the proud, to abase one's self before God. Debase has reference to the bringing down of a thing in purity, or making it base. It is, therefore, always used in a bad sense, as, to debase the coin of the kingdom, to debase the mind by vicious indulgence, to debase one's style by coarse or vulgar expressions. Degrade has reference to a bringing down from some higher grade or from some standard. Thus, a priest is degraded from the clerical office. When used in a moral sense, it denotes a bringing down in character and just estimation; as, degraded by intemperance, a degrading employment, etc. “Art is degraded when it is regarded only as a trade.”

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54