Adjacent Words

Abase definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ABA'SE, v.t. [Fr abaisser, from bas, low, or the bottom; W. bais; Latin and Gr. basis; Eng. base; It. Abbassare; Sp. bare, low. See Abash.]
1. The literal sense of abase is to lower or depress, to throw or cast down, as used by Bacon, "to abase the eye." But the word is seldom used in reference to material things.
2. To cast down; to reduce low; to depress; to humble; to degrade; applied to the passions, rank, office, and condition in life.
Those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Daniel 4.
Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, Matthew 23. Job 40. 2 Corinthians 11.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of; "He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss" [syn: humiliate, mortify, chagrin, humble, abase]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (abased; abasing) Etymology: Middle English abassen, from Anglo-French abesser, abaisser, from a- (from Latin ad-) + -besser, from Vulgar Latin *bassiare to lower Date: 15th century 1. archaic to lower physically 2. to lower in rank, office, prestige, or esteem • abasement noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. & refl. humiliate or degrade (another person or oneself). Derivatives: abasement n. Etymology: ME f. OF abaissier (as A-(3), baissier to lower ult. f. LL bassus short of stature): infl. by BASE(2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Abase A*base" ([.a]*b[=a]s"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abased ([.a]*b[=a]st"); p. pr. & vb. n. Abasing.] [F. abaisser, LL. abassare, abbassare; ad + bassare, fr. bassus low. See Base, a.] 1. To lower or depress; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye. [Archaic] --Bacon. Saying so, he abased his lance. --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. Syn: 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.''

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-bas': The English rendition of shaphel (Job 40:11; Eze 21:26), and of its derivative shephal (Da 4:37) = "bring down," "debase," "humble"; of `anah (Isa 31:4) = "abase self," "afflict," "chasten self," "deal harshly with," etc.; and of tapeinoo = "to depress"; figure "to humiliate" (in condition or heart): "abase," "bring low," "humble self" (Php 4:12). The word is always employed to indicate what should be done to or by him who nurtures a spirit and exhibits a demeanor contrary to the laudable humility which is a natural fruit of religion. Such a person is warned that the most extravagant audacity will not daunt Yahweh nor abate His vengeance (Isa 31:4), and good men are exhorted to employ their powers to bring him low (Job 40:11; Eze 21:26). If men are not able to curb the arrogant, God is (Da 4:37); and He has so constituted the world, that sinful arrogance must fall (Mt 23:12 the King James Version; Lu 14:11 the King James Version; Lu 18:14 the King James Version).

Frank E. Hirsch

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Depress, detrude, lower, reduce, drop, sink, stoop, cast down, let down, throw down, let fall. 2. Degrade, humble, disgrace, dishonor, humiliate, debase, bring low, take down.

Moby Thesaurus

abash, bring down, bring low, bump, bust, cast down, cower, cringe, crush, debase, degrade, demean, demote, deplume, diminish, disgrade, displume, downgrade, dump, dump on, fawn, grovel, humble, humiliate, lower, put down, reduce, set down, sink, strip of rank, take down, toady, trip up, truckle