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Webster 1913 Edition


Abase

A-base′

(ȧ-bās′)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Abased
(ȧ-bāst′)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Abasing
.]
[F.
abaisser
, LL.
abassare
,
abbassare
;
ad
+
bassare
, fr.
bassus
low. See
Base
,
Adj.
]
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.”

Webster 1828 Edition


Abase

ABA'SE

,
Verb.
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. Dan. 4.
Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, Mat. 23. Job. 40. 2 Cor. 11.

Definition 2024


abase

abase

English

Verb

abase (third-person singular simple present abases, present participle abasing, simple past and past participle abased)

  1. (transitive, archaic) To lower physically or depress; to stoop; to throw or cast down[First attested from around (1350 to 1470)][2]
    to abase the eye
  2. (transitive) To lower, as in rank, office, condition in life, so as to hurt feelings or cause pain; to depress; to humiliate; to humble; to degrade. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470)][2]
    • Bible, Luke 14:11
      Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To lower in value, in particular as altering the content of alloys in coins.[2][Attested from the mid 16th century until the mid 18th century.][2]

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • abase in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • abase in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  1. Elliott K. Dobbie, C. William Dunmore, Robert K. Barnhart, et al. (editors), Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2004 [1998], ISBN 0550142304), page 2
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 2