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abase Definition

abase (ə bās)

transitive verb abased, abas·ing

  1. to humble or humiliate he abased himself before the king
  2. Archaic to lower; cast down

Etymology: ME abessen < OFr abaissier < ML abassare, to lower, bring down < L ad- (see a-) + VL bassus, low

abase Related Forms
abase·ment noun
abase Synonyms

abase

v.

humiliate, humble, debase; see humble. See syn. study athumble.

abase Usage Examples

Object

  • yourselves: If He seem to frown, you are then to abase yourselves as miserable wretches.

Modifying Another Word

  • not: God's love doth not abase his majesty, nor his majesty diminish his love.
abase Quotes

And it is a good sign that this masquerading knight- errant, this pretended champion of the rights of every other nation except those of the Irish nation, should be obliged to throw off the mask today, and to stand revealed as the man who by his own utterances is prepared to carry fire and sword into your homesteads unless you humbly abase yourselves before him, and before the landlords of the country.

—Parnell, Charles Stewart

Browse dictionary entries near abase

  1. abandonment
  2. abandonee
  3. abandoned property
  4. abandoned
  5. abandon
  6. abalone
  7. abaft
  8. Abaddon
  9. Abadán
  10. abacus
  1. abasement
  2. abash
  3. abate
  4. abatement
  5. abatement clause
  6. abatis
  7. abator
  8. abattoir
  9. abaxial
  10. abbé