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abased

[uh-beyst]
adjective Heraldry.
  1. (of a charge) lower on an escutcheon than is usual: a bend abased.
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Origin of abased

First recorded in 1645–55; abase + -ed2
Related formsun·a·based, adjective

abase

[uh-beys]
verb (used with object), a·based, a·bas·ing.
  1. to reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade.
  2. Archaic. to lower; put or bring down: He abased his head.
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Origin of abase

1470–80; a-5 + base2; replacing late Middle English abassen, equivalent to a-5 + bas base2; replacing Middle English abaissen, abe(i)sen < Anglo-French abesser, abaisser, Old French abaissier, equivalent + a- a-5 + -baissier < Vulgar Latin *bassiare, verbal derivative of Late Latin bassus; see base2
Related formsa·base·ment, nouna·bas·er, nounun·a·bas·ing, adjective

Synonyms

1. humiliate, dishonor, defame, belittle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

lowerdisgracedishonorbelittlehumblereducediminishshamedemeandegrademortifydebasehumiliate

Examples from the Web for abased

Historical Examples

  • Ashamed, abased, degraded in his own eyes, he turned away his head.

    The Manxman

    Hall Caine

  • She had pled with him before, and knelt and wept and abased herself before him.

    In Kings' Byways

    Stanley J. Weyman

  • Seek not, even from Him, holiness in yourself; let self be abased, and be content that the Holiness is His.

    Holy in Christ

    Andrew Murray

  • He has the same equable spirit when abased and when abounding.

  • I tell you that this man, villain as he is, ever leaves me humbled and abased.

    Devereux, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for abased

abase

verb (tr)
  1. to humble or belittle (oneself, etc)
  2. to lower or reduce, as in rank or estimation
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Derived Formsabasement, noun

Word Origin

C15: abessen, from Old French abaissier to make low. See base ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abased

abase

v.

late 14c., abaishen, from Old French abaissier "diminish, make lower in value or status" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *ad bassiare "bring lower," from Late Latin bassus "thick, fat, low;" from the same source as base (adj.) and altered 16c. in English by influence of it, which made it an exception to the rule that Old French verbs with stem -iss- enter English as -ish. Related: Abased; abasing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper