Abase Definition

ə-bās
abased, abases, abasing
verb
abased, abases, abasing
To lower in rank, prestige, or esteem.
American Heritage
To humble or humiliate.
He abased himself before the king.
Webster's New World
To lower; cast down.
Webster's New World

(archaic) To lower physically or depress; to stoop; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470)]

Wiktionary

To lower, as in rank, office, condition in life, so as to hurt feelings or cause pain; to depress; to humiliate; to humble; to degrade. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470)]

Wiktionary

Origin of Abase

  • From Middle English abaisse, abesse, abessen, abaishen, abassen, from Middle French abaisser, from Old French abaissier (“bring low”), from Old French a- + baissier (“to lower”), from Vulgar Latin abbassiāre (“to lower”), from Medieval Latin bassus (“short of stature, low, humble”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English abassen from Old French abaissier Latin ad- ad- Vulgar Latin bassiāre (from Medieval Latin bassus low)

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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