Abase
/əˈbeɪs/noun
To degrade, humiliate, or lower in rank, status, or dignity.
Did you know?Abase comes through Old French abaissier, built from bas meaning “low,” so the word has always carried the symbolic force of pushing someone downward—socially, spiritually, and emotionally.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
bassus
“low, short, stumpy”
Old French
Old French
bas
“low, inferior”
Old French
Old French
abaissier
“to lower, let fall, diminish”
Middle English
English
abaisen
“to lower in rank or condition”
Modern English
English
abase
“to degrade or humiliate”