de|grade

de|grade «dih GRAYD», verb, -grad|ed, -grad|ing.

–v.t.

1. to reduce to a lower rank, often as a punishment; take away a position or an honor from: »

The sergeant was degraded to private for disobeying orders.

SYNONYM(S): demote.

2. to make worse; lower; debase: »

You degrade yourself when you steal.

SYNONYM(S): defile, dishonor.

3. Chemistry. to reduce systematically the molecule of (a compound) into others of less complex structure; decompose: »

This treatment “degraded” some of the virus, separating the rods into nucleic acid and protein molecules (Time).

4. to reduce in price, strength, purity, or other quality: »

to degrade food or drugs. In coordinated bomber-missile attacks, ballistic missiles can precede the bomber strikes and “degrade” the enemy's defenses (United States Air Force Report on the Ballistic Missile).

5. Geology. to wear down (land, rocks, or other land formations) by erosion.

6. to tone down in color.

7. Biology. to reduce to a lower classification.

–v.i.

to become reduced or degraded: »

This polymerized herbicide degrades in moist soil at a controlled rate (Science News).

╂[< Old French degrader, learned borrowing from Late Latin dēgradāre reduce the rank of < Latin dē- down + gradus, -ūs step, grade]