abase
[uh-beys]
- to reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade.
- 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
Synonyms
See more synonyms for abase on Thesaurus.com1. humiliate, dishonor, defame, belittle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
abase
- to humble or belittle (oneself, etc)
- to lower or reduce, as in rank or estimation
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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
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Word Origin and History for abaser
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