To treat someone in a way that makes them feel ashamed or disrespected, or to lower someone's rank or status.
From Old French 'abaisser' (to lower, make low), from Latin 'ad-' (to) + 'bassus' (low, short); originally literal (making physically lower) before becoming figurative about dignity.
This word literally means to make someone 'bass' or low—it traveled from physical lowering to emotional humiliation, showing how powerfully our bodies and emotions connect in language!
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